A retired FBI agent has revealed the five things he would never do after working with some of the most dangerous minds in America.
Steve Lazarus is a retired FBI agent and United States Air Force veteran who now uses his skills to help protect people at home.
In a recent series of videos, Steve took viewers through the five things he would avoid at home to protect his family — and some of them might surprise you.
The expert listed cryptocurrency, smart devices and at-home DNA testing as some of the top things he would avoid and talked about why some harmless items could be potentially dangerous to you and your loved ones.
Steve Lazarus is a retired FBI agent and United States Air Force veteran who now uses his skills to help protect people at home
In a recent series of videos, Steve took viewers through the five things he would avoid at home to protect his family – and some of them might surprise you
Cryptocurrency
Steve started by warning people about cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens, or NFTs.
“Bottom looks like a Ponzi scheme to me,” Steve said in one of the TikTok series, which has been viewed more than 7.2 million times in total.
Steve explained that crypto has “zero tangible value.”
“It has what we call a 'wide entrance into a very narrow exit,'” he explained. “This means it's easy to buy but hard to sell, especially during panics.”
He added that it is a “playground” for scammers, citing Sam Bankman-Freed as an example.
“The worst thing about the NFT market is paying obscene amounts of money for art you can't touch, houses you can't live in, and land that doesn't exist,” he continued.
Smart devices
Steve then warned people about using smart home devices like Google Home or Alexa, calling them “a creepy stalker living in your house.
“Take a moment to think about the most intimate and private conversations you have and ask yourself: Do you really want a stranger listening in?” he asked his followers, listing hackers as a likely threat to these devices.
“Hackers make their money by breaking into devices like your phone, your computer, even these voice-activated assistants,” he explained.
Steve pointed out that people use it to set up their security systems, unlock their cars, and even transfer money between accounts.
“Imagine the kind of problems (a hacker) could cause,” Steve warned followers.
“For my money, I'm going to sacrifice a little bit of convenience to maintain my privacy, my safety and my security,” he said.
DNA testing at home
While at-home DNA kits are extremely popular, Steve said they come with their own potential problems.
'For me (DNA kits are) a hard no. And if you want to put the reason in one word, it's privacy,” he explained.
He used a 2019 court case in Florida in which a detective obtained a court order allowing him to search more than a million records in a DNA database in search of a subject.
“While we're on the subject of abuse, do you really think a health insurer wouldn't want a copy of your DNA when deciding whether or not to cover you,” he asked. “Or to allow you to receive treatment for an existing or pre-existing condition?”
He pointed out that even if you are happy with the company, there is always the possibility that it will be hacked or taken over by another company.
“What if they are acquired by another company that doesn't share their moral or ethical views?” Steve said.
“I understand that some people may want this to find their birth parents or for some other legitimate reason, but for my money, 23 And Me, it's not for me,” he stated.
No unsupervised internet for children
Steve warned parents about giving underage children unlimited access Internet use can be incredibly dangerous.
'A “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,” Steve explained in the clip.
He further explained that “tech-savvy creeps” can gain access to children through online gaming apps or direct messages on social media.
Steve explained that children have no privacy rights on their phones and said you need a parental control app.
“You must know your children's PINs and passwords, and you must inspect their phone 'without notice' as a condition of keeping that phone,” he urged.
Never confuse American rights abroad
Steve reminded American travelers to be careful abroad and said some people forget that their rights in the U.S. do not transfer to other countries.
'(I would never) “confuse my rights as an American with my responsibility to obey the law when I am a guest in a foreign country,” Steve told his followers.
“As I speak, there are Americans locked up all over the world because they thought if it was OK to do it here, it must be OK to do it there,” he said.
Steve reminded travelers that the First Amendment does not apply to foreign territory.
“The bottom line is, know before you go,” he urged viewers.
“Don't assume that your American citizenship will get you out of trouble, because it won't.”