MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It’s that time of year when the warnings go out about looking out for those who want to make you their victim, but you might be surprised how many people don’t.

We found one woman leaving a store in Southaven, bag in hand, wallet under her arm, busy on her cellphone. She was distracted, and that’s not good.

“Do you think about that, talking on your phone when you go to your car?” we asked the shopper, Whitney Freeman.

“No, I don’t. I think I do that all the time, talk on the phone when I am going to my car. It’s a habit,” she replied.

That habit could make her a victim. Southaven Police Chief Tom Long says it happens all the time.

“They walk out of a store, bags hanging off every arm and a list in front of them they are trying to check off. You are just not thinking about your own individual safety,” Long said.

You can help police officers who are trying to protect you by taking a few precautions of your own, including being aware of your surroundings and mapping things out ahead of time.

“What’s the shortest route to get to the store? Is there anybody suspicious around there when you go out?” Chief Long said.

He said people often make it easy for criminals to narrow in on them. Long said your eyes are your best weapon to assess situations and not get into trouble.

“I am just aware of what’s going on around me, even when I enter the store and I am in the store. I am just aware of my surroundings,” shopper Mary W. Jones said.

Southaven police are also on the lookout for things you do that can lead to trouble, like leaving items visible in your car. They issue friendly reminders for you to put items away, saying what you do can make all the difference.

“You always have to be careful because you know somebody is always watching,” shopper Jeff Seaton said.

Southaven police have extra patrols in shopping centers for the holiday season and officers are working overtime during busy shopping times.