Retired FBI Agent Shares Things He Will Never Do And Explains Why
Interview With Author
There has never been a time when safety and security wasn’t a priority. These days, however, it seems like it is reaching new heights in how significant it is.
Every new technological advancement and innovation introduces new challenges, and it’s getting hard to keep up with all of it.
Luckily, there are people who are on the ball and inform others so that they could stay safe out there in this crazy world—it’s people like ex FBI agent Steve Lazarus. Scroll down to see what he has to say about personal safety and security as well as out interview with him.
Image credits: steve.lazarus.books
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Live with a creepy stalker inside my house. You're probably telling yourself, "No, of course not. Nobody would do that." Well, if you have something that looks like this in your house, only it's black and it plugs into the wall, and if you ask it to, it'll order you a case of toilet paper, then yes, you do have a creepy stalker living inside your house.
And that may not be a big deal if all you're talking about is toilet paper. But think for a second about the most intimate and private conversations you have. And ask yourself, do you really want a stranger listening in? Then there's the problem of hackers. You know, hackers make their livelihood by breaking into devices like your phone, your computer, and even these voice-activated assistants. You know, some people use these assistants to unlock and start their car. They use them to run their home security system. Some people even use them to move money back and forth between bank accounts. Now, if the hacker got into that assistant, just imagine what kind of problems they could cause. It's your decision at the end of the day, but for my money, I'm going to sacrifice a bit of convenience in order to preserve my privacy, my safety, and my security.
We're going to talk about why I won't get my news from either of the two major cable outlets. In 22 years as a criminal investigator and media rep for the FBI, I developed a pretty good bulls**t detector. And it's telling me that CNN and Fox News are just two sides of the exact same coin. One of them wants you to believe that we're becoming a fascist country. The other wants you to believe we're becoming a communist country. Of course, neither is true. So why do they do it? Well, to keep their base viewership, to sell advertising, and to stoke the fires of fear that keep them in business. I know many of you have already tuned them out.
Yeah, you have to read 6 different stories from 6 different sources to figure out what's really going on.
Steve Lazarus is a retired FBI agent, U.S. Air Force veteran, and crime fiction author who, after 35+ years of service, started a new chapter in life and began posting videos about FBI life as well as safety and security.
One of the things that got people hooked on was his series on the things he would never do as a retired FBI agent. In it, he details how tech has become a new frontier for hackers, scammers and any other kind of miscreant (including shady, agenda-pushing corporations).
"My social media presence began as a book marketing strategy for my crime fiction novel “Call Me Sonny,” explained Lazarus. The “five things” theme was based on similar content I saw from creators who wanted to share their professional experiences."
Now, think Amazon’s Alexa. Yes, it’s designed to listen in on your conversations, not just because it’s learning and creating AI-based algorithms, but also because it could tailor ads for other services. Not necessarily an evil thing in and of itself—actually standard as modern day life goes—but it does open up a backdoor for hackers to take advantage of.
I'm going to explain why I'm never going to jump on the AI bandwagon. It's not just that we'd become intellectually lazy, need a computer to do our term papers for us or correct our grammar. But as AI has become more powerful, it's become a favorite tool of the child exploitation community who uses it to create images of real children engaging in explicit sexual activity.
In fact, a recent Stanford study found at least 3,000 of those images on one of the largest AI databases in the world. Of course, I realize there's tremendous upside to AI when used properly. But until we get our heads around the ethical and the moral problems presented by its use by the general public, I'm not a fan.
I would never allow my children to have unlimited, unsupervised access to the internet. Why? Because a 12-year-old with a cell phone is nothing more than a target for an online predator who knows how to get kids to do things they shouldn't be doing. These tech-savvy creeps can get at your children through online gaming apps, through direct messaging apps, and through social media.
So moms, dads, you might be asking yourself, 'What about my kid's privacy rights?' Well, they don't have any, especially not on the phone that you're paying for. So you need to get a parental control app, you need to know your children's pins and your passwords, and you need to make no-notice inspections of their phone a condition for them keeping that phone.
While I KINDA get the point, the phrase "Kids have no privacy rights" makes me shudder.
This is besides all the romance scams on Tinder, lack of parental supervision for kids with unlimited access to phones, and one of the more recent crazes online—artificial intelligence. All of these have either loopholes or back doors or simple potential for information leaks which can be used against you. These are some of the things Lazarus tackles in his video series.
Sad to say, but nothing is truly save online, especially social media, as points out Lazarus: "You absolutely cannot be 100% safe on social media, because you are putting yourself out there. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be smart. I would say the #1 sin I see every day is oversharing—personal info, location info, relationship status, etc.
He went on to say that the trajectory of safety and security remains fluid. By that, he means that while social media users are becoming more aware of the threats and tech savvy, hackers and data miners too are moving forward and find new ways of extracting information from people. It's a sort of cat and mouse game in that sense.
I've seen enough of them to know that I would never fall for a romance scam. You know, the quickest way to somebody's bank account is usually through their heart. So I have four questions to ask yourself about that amazing new love interest in your life. Number one, are they out of your league? You know what I'm talking about. Number two, did you meet online? And if so, is your relationship still predominantly online or over the phone? Number three, does everything seem to be moving a little bit too fast? And number four, the biggest red flag of all, have they asked you for money? Or even worse yet, have they asked you to wire them money?
Now if you answered yes to two or more of these questions, chances are you're getting scammed. End it now and get out before they break your heart or ruin you financially. Or both.
Wouldn't work on me, since most of the scammers pretend to be ultra-hot "out of my league" supermodels while I'm interested in weirdo nerd girls in oversized hoodies.
Needless to say, safety and security online can’t be overstated with the numerous threats the internet poses
Sure, the internet does give ample opportunities for a variety of people, but it’s also a place where online abuse, bullying, threats, impersonation, harassment, and exposure to offensive content also comes from. Among other things.
For the most part, browsing the internet is harmless as the various services you use collect information about your behavior online just so they could advertise better to you and that’s pretty much it. Ad blockers nullify those attempts.
However, it’s still important to keep an eye on what you disclose or what you agree to online as scammers and hackers are relentless to get your money. So, the general rule of thumb is don’t click on anything that you wouldn’t want to be approached by on the street.
And, as an extension of that, fact check absolutely everything. "Stop taking things at face value because some random dude (including me!!!) said it on the internet," added Lazarus. "And quit buying into every conspiracy theory in the world simply because it supports your own feelings."
If you need more specifics, the SWGfL, a charity that focuses on fostering safety and security online, has a comprehensive list of guides, social media checklists and other resources to help folks not compromise themselves online. Or if you don’t want to leave Bored Panda, you’re welcome.
But if you need a more condensed, visual version of this, consider checking out and following Lazarus on TikTok or ordering Call Me Sonny.
So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Have your own security tips to share? Do so in the comment section below!
Here's how the internet reacted to the safety tips
Another point of access is your webcam. If you are not actively using it, you should block/disable it. Too many instances of hackers accessing it remotely. They can tell when you are home or not, they can see your possessions in that room.
Mine is unplugged at work, I only plug it in for meetings.
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Gotta love the person who is so proud of only using their Alexa to listen to music, and unplugging it when they're not. Jeez, just buy a cheap bluetooth speaker and play music direct from your phone. Why even bother messing about with Alexa if you're *just* using it as a bluetooth speaker.
Maybe it was a gift from someone who visits and would be looking to see if the gift was being utilized
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These are all common sense. You don’t need to be retired from the FBI to know these… 🤣🤦🏼♀️
The point is he's an "expert" so his opinion should add weight to what should be smart, default practise. Tell your mom, or your kid, or your friend what they should do and they say "Why should I believe you?" Well, fine, don't believe me. Believe the FBI guy.
Load More Replies... Another point of access is your webcam. If you are not actively using it, you should block/disable it. Too many instances of hackers accessing it remotely. They can tell when you are home or not, they can see your possessions in that room.
Mine is unplugged at work, I only plug it in for meetings.
Load More Replies... Gotta love the person who is so proud of only using their Alexa to listen to music, and unplugging it when they're not. Jeez, just buy a cheap bluetooth speaker and play music direct from your phone. Why even bother messing about with Alexa if you're *just* using it as a bluetooth speaker.
Maybe it was a gift from someone who visits and would be looking to see if the gift was being utilized
Load More Replies... These are all common sense. You don’t need to be retired from the FBI to know these… 🤣🤦🏼♀️
The point is he's an "expert" so his opinion should add weight to what should be smart, default practise. Tell your mom, or your kid, or your friend what they should do and they say "Why should I believe you?" Well, fine, don't believe me. Believe the FBI guy.
Load More Replies...