‘Tis the season for more larcenies and scam attempts, according to Town of Newburgh police.

Authorities are warning residents that they see an uptick in crime during the holidays.

They say they have already had several burglaries of homes, and a large increase of car larcenies.

In response, the department has increased marked and unmarked patrol units, but they say it's impossible to be everywhere, especially within the concealment of darkness.

They report the one common factor they see in the car larcenies is that all the vehicles are being left unlocked. They recommend you lock your vehicles and don't leave valuables in your car, even if just a few hours. Cameras and/or lights (especially motion lights) are good additional security. Remember, if someone gains access to your car, it's possible they have access to your house if you have a garage door opener or leave keys in the vehicle.

Authorities are also warning that package thefts rise during this season. Thieves are walking onto properties, grabbing packages that are left by UPS, FedEx, Amazon, and other delivery services. Though this is happening at all times of day, with darkness arriving before some get home from work, cameras and lighting will again add as a deterrent and possible retrieval of the merchandise.

Also, scams increase during the holiday season. Here are some common scams:

• No legitimate business or contractor is going to ask you to pay a debt or bill with gift cards.

• No ethical business or contractor should be asking you for your banking information or Social Security number.

• Legitimate persons don't send you extra money when buying things off eBay, Marketplace, etc. and tell you deposit the money, but send part of it back.

• Make sure with your bank that the funds have cleared before you make the transaction (some banks take up to 10 days).

• Central Hudson will not be calling you to shut off your electric if you don't pay immediately (especially with gift cards).

• The Crown Prince of Egypt is not a long-lost family member (or just really likes you), and he's not sending money because he's kind.

• The IRS is not calling because you have a Social Security number breach, or they want to arrest you.

• If you meet a total stranger on a social media site and they engage you "romantically," do not send a nude photo - which they will be requesting only to extort you for money with the threat of posting it on every social media site, and sending it to all your family and friends.

• Scammers browse the internet to look for elderly people, calling them to pretend to be a niece, nephew, grandson, etc. They claim they've been arrested in another country and attempt to panic the person to send money immediately or terrible things will happen to them.

Also, more and more mail is being stolen from mailboxes, they are looking for your information to create false credit cards/bank accounts. More so, they are looking for checks (incoming and outgoing), so they can manipulate/forge (name and amount) and cash it.