Retired Secret Service agent dishes his little-known safety tips

An alleged ex-Secret Service agent has revealed his top tips for staying safe while out in public – and some of them may be surprising.

The important information was shared in a new TikTok video posted this week by Scott Bryson, who claims he worked for the U.S. Secret Service for years.

Although he’s now retired, he still uses social media to share his tips and tricks – and this time was no different as he urged everyone to be ‘observant’ when out and about.

The first tip he shared in the video was simple: make sure you always put your phone away when you park your car and enter a store.

“Stay off your phone, same thing, go in, go out,” Bryson said. ‘Stay off your phone.’

He then gave an important tip for people in the parking lot, emphasizing the importance of being aware of your surroundings.

“Ladies, especially you, listen, if you’re parked here… if you come out and there’s a car parked right next to you, and I mean super close to the line or something, that should be a red flag ,” Bryson shared.

‘Is there anyone in the car? Is it a minivan? Does it have sliding doors? Is it an SUV? I’m not saying you can’t get in your car, just hit the brakes, okay?’ he continued.

‘Just take it easy, take a look around you and don’t just get in the car. It could be good, it could be something, I don’t know.’

For his third tip, he suggested facing your car while pumping gas at a gas station and making sure you aren’t distracted by your phone.

“Now you’ve got your 360 down to 180, where you can see,” Bryson explained.

“If someone approaches you and is up to no good, spray them with gas,” he continued.

“That’s not cool, I wouldn’t want to get sprayed with gas, they’ll probably run away.”

Finally, his last suggestion was about where you should sit in a public place, such as a restaurant or movie theater.

“If you’re in a restaurant, don’t sit with your back to the door,” he advised.

‘You can see the door. Know where the exits are,” he said.

“Stay off your phone, same thing, go in, go out,” Bryson said. ‘Stay off your phone’ (stock image)

Bryson explained that the same goes for movie theaters and churches: you want to sit at the end.

“If you’re a fighter, you can get up and fight. If you don’t want to fight, that’s fine too. You can run, but you have to be able to get away, right?’ Bryson told the audience.

“Don’t get stuck in the middle of the road,” he concluded.

In the comments section of his post, many even shared their own tried-and-true public safety tips.

‘Allow yourself a way out while driving. When you stop at a traffic light, don’t stop too close. You should always be able to see the tires of the car in front of you… This usually gives you a way out,” one person wrote.

Another user typed: ‘Don’t go to convenience stores with the windows covered in advertisements. People should be able to see what’s going on inside from the parking lot.’

“If I feel unsafe walking to my car, I turn off my car alarm until I’m close. Make everyone stop and look,” someone else commented.