It's the season of giving, but for thieves, it's the season for taking hard-earned cash and gifts. 

Nanaimo RCMP issued a press release this week warning residents to keep an eye open for some of the more prevalent scams and crimes reported at this time of year.

Showing off the Christmas tree to the neighbours might be tempting, but police warn that offering a view into a home and the location of presents isn't advisable. At the end of the night, residents should shut off lights, close the blinds and double check that vehicles, exterior doors and windows are locked.

Police advise residents to be on guard against porch pirates out to steal unattended parcels from doorsteps. People receiving parcels who won鈥檛 be home should plan to have the parcels delivered to their workplace, a friend's home or a delivery depot, say RCMP.

RCMP suggest people be aware of their surroundings when making ATM and debit transactions. "Shoulder surfers" will try to interact with people and observe account security PINs, warn police. Money withdrawn from an ATM should quickly be placed in a pocket or purse before walking away. Also, Christmas shoppers should take care not to make it easy for thieves by leaving gifts in the back seats of vehicles in parking lots. Presents should instead be placed in the trunk out of sight. As well, receipts shouldn't be thrown in the trash. They鈥檒l not only be needed to return gifts to retailers, but thieves dive into trash cans and recycling bins to search for receipts, say police.

Those doing some of their Christmas shopping online should take steps to ensure they're visiting a business' legitimate website and not a fraudulent one. Web users should never respond to pop-up messages on their computers nor provide information about a home computer when an unsolicited call comes from someone claiming to work for a computer company.

Every phone call at this time of year from someone claiming to work for a bank, cell phone provider or a courier company should be considered fake until proven otherwise, say police. If it鈥檚 important they make contact, they will call back, and if returning a call, customers should only call the number found on the company's legitimate website. Police recommend hanging up on anyone claiming to represent the Canada Revenue Agency or a banking institution who asks for bitcoin or gift card transactions.

鈥淭here are many trusted websites and agencies that are available to answer and address any concerns you may have,鈥� said reserve Const. Gary O鈥橞rien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson, in a press release.  鈥淚f we can share one piece of advice this year, it鈥檚 this: seek advice from a trusted source before making any decisions around money. If you have never met the requester in person, consider it a fraud.鈥� 

To learn more about frauds and scams, visit .