With online shopping becoming more and more popular each year, and especially during the holiday season, residents are reminded of some basic, but important tips on how to protect purchases and guard against potential scams.

It's recommended, if possible, to have packages delivered to your place of work or a location you know someone will be at, rather than having it left on your front porch unattended. Some thieves will drive neighborhoods or even follow delivery trucks so they can steal the packages after they are dropped off.

In addition to making sure your packages are secure, it's important to monitor your credit card accounts closely, be aware of fraudulent websites that may look like a familiar store and if given the option, take the extra time to enable the two-step authentication feature, which will send a code to your cell phone to ensure you are the same person attempting to make an online purchase.