- Ex-FBI agent Jason Hogg shares five key tips for online safety.
- He stresses the need to verify messages and think twice about social media interactions.
- He recommends using VPNs on public WiFi, monitoring your credit information, and avoiding password reuse.
This article is adapted from a conversation with Jason Hogg, a former FBI agent now working in a private equity firm. The text has been edited.
I’ve been around the block a few times as a former special agent with the FBI.
In my time with the Special Operations Group 13, I saw it all: from cartels to terrorists, plus plenty of online threats and financial scams.
Once I wrapped up my FBI career, I became the global CEO of a cybersecurity firm that dealt with everything from digital investigations to penetration testing.
These days, my thoughts on internet safety are clear—it’s tough out there, but you can still make smart choices.
Here are five essential pointers to keep your online experience secure:
Stay Suspicious
Whenever you get a video, call, message, or email, double-check it with the sender.
If it’s a call from a number you don’t recognize, hold on for a second and validate the identity.
A family member almost got fooled by a deepfake call once. It sounded just like my daughter, and luckily, my mom—who was 80 at the time—had the right instinct to check with me.
Pay Attention to Your Alerts
Your phone might notify you that your passwords have been part of a data breach—don’t ignore it!
Even my dad, a former CEO of MasterCard and once in the FBI, lost a lot from his checking account due to ignored warnings.
Go through the apps with compromised passwords and switch them up, especially the important ones! Vary your passwords too; a lot of different sites require better protection.
Be Cautious with Free WiFi
If you’re using free WiFi at places like coffee shops, definitely install a VPN on your device—it’s a breeze to do.
Avoid making any financial transactions using public networks since you never know who’s snooping.
Secure Your Credit Information
It’s a one-stop process to call a credit bureau like Experian and lock your credit file. They’ll then provide a key for unlocking it later.
A good friend of mine faced identity theft partly because they didn’t have their credit locked. Someone used a fake identity and caused real problems.
This is an easy, cost-free step to safeguard against fraud.
Think Before You Post
Be mindful that whatever you share online could be turned against you. If in doubt, don’t post.
Sure, enjoy sharing good memories, but avoid tagging everyone publicly.
Social media is a treasure chest for bad actors with tons of personal info. Bad actors are craftily using escalating tech, like deepfakes, to create risk—leveraging voice and image data from what’s out there online.
Taking these precautions can go a long way in ensuring a safer digital life.
