Jennifer Gomez, who says she once built a life around burglary, is now using her experience to offer practical personal safety advice online.
After years of what she describes as being a ‘cat burglar’, Gomez has shifted from crime to content, posting videos aimed at helping others avoid becoming easy targets for theft or attack.
Her advice also lines up with standard crime-prevention guidance from law enforcement and vehicle-safety organisations, which routinely stress keeping doors locked, limiting access points, concealing valuables and staying alert in parking lots and other public spaces.
In a recent TikTok shared on her account, @JenJenGomez2.0, she outlined several habits she believes can reduce the risk of being robbed while out in public.
In the caption, she wrote: “STOP DOING THESE THINGS! YOU can protect yourself right now! I learned a lot during my time in prison, I’m here to pass it along to all of you!”
At the start of the clip, Gomez described her background and why she believes people should pay attention to what she has learned.
She explained as the clip began that she has ‘spent 10 years in prison for being a cat burglar with really, really bad people’, and added: “I’m going to tell you, right now, three things that you can do that are going to help you.”
Her first recommendation focused on car security, especially the way a vehicle unlocks.
“You need to set the feature in your car to where if you unlock with your [key] fob or you walk up and it unlocks automatically that it only unlocks the driver side door, and in order to unlock the rest of the car you need to actually, physically [press] unlock twice,” Gomez, said.
That advice reflects a feature many vehicles already offer, often called two-press or selective unlocking, where the first press opens only the driver door and a second press unlocks the rest.
According to Gomez, this matters because someone looking for a chance to get inside a vehicle may try the passenger side while the owner is distracted getting in.
Her next point was about loading shopping into a car. She warned against standing at the boot for too long while unpacking, particularly in spaces where nearby vehicles block other people’s view.
“Stop doing that!” the former criminal said. “Most of the time, there are cars parked next to you. And, whether you know it or not, it’s not always the scary white van with dark tinted windows and a sliding door that’s gonna get you.”
She argued that being parked between other cars can make it easier for someone to approach unnoticed, since there are fewer clear sightlines from passersby.
Instead, she suggested getting items into the back of the car as quickly as possible while remaining visible in the parking row.
“As you start getting closer to your car, open your trunk…and put your bags back there even if it’s not a lot of stuff,” said Gomez. “That’s more visibility and eyeballs on you if you’re out in the actual row, where people are parking and moving about.”
The final piece of advice was about awareness. Gomez said distraction can make someone more appealing to an attacker than physical vulnerability alone.
The ex-con revealed that ‘a distracted person is better than a weak person’ in the eyes of a criminal, as she explained in the clip: “The majority of attackers go for a distracted person because the element of surprise is the No. 1 advantage for a criminal — any criminal.
“Attackers don’t want you looking at them, they don’t want the chance that you can identify them in a line up [or] make a big hoopla before they even get to you because you sense there’s something creepy going on or you got scared.”
She said people should avoid becoming absorbed in their surroundings to the point of not noticing who is nearby, and encouraged making eye contact with anyone who seems suspicious.
She advised anyone to make eye contact with anyone ‘who makes you feel that they’re not right’, to avoid being distracted, and to keep your head on a ‘swivel’.
“You’re the first line of defense for your family when you are out in public. You have to be aware,” she added.
People responding to the video said the warnings resonated with them.
Her viewers online were quick to take on board her points, with one writing: ” Girl I’m paranoid now but thx.”
Another said: ” Yes!!! I only unlock the driver side.”