Former FBI agent reveals five expert tips to help you survive a KIDNAPPING situation - and the most dangerous thing you can do if you are abducted

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A former FBI agent has revealed five tips to bear in mind if you ever find yourself in a kidnapping situation.

Bill Daly, who served as an investigator out of the FBI's NYC offices for 10 years, now offers consulting advice on dealing with criminal activity based off the insights he gleaned from his decades working in the security field.

Along with former Secret Service agent Michael Verden, the pair spoke to Fox News to break down five strategies people can use to help get out of a kidnapping situation.

The experts also revealed the most dangerous thing you can do if you are abducted.

A former FBI agent has revealed five tips to bear in mind if you ever find yourself as the victim of a kidnapping (stock image) 

First, simply, maintain an awareness of your surroundings - also known as situational awareness. 

In public, don't let strangers within an arm's reach of you, keeping everyone at least five feet away.

Obviously, in crowded environs, this may not be possible - but in less population dense areas, there's no reason anyone you don't know should be in your personal space. 

'If it's a congested area, odds are you aren't going to be abducted. If you're in a secluded area, the potential for abduction is more serious,' said Daly. 

In practice, this also means not wearing headphones or being on the phone in potentially vulnerable circumstances. 

'People tune out walking down the sidewalk. I get it, but if you don't know the area, you need to unplug,' he advised.

He also emphasized the common-sense measure of never getting into a car with someone you don't know.

Outside of the US in particular, people have been abducted by fake taxi drivers, especially at travel hubs like airports, he added. 

'I do a lot of travel. When I come out of the airport, I'm either calling Uber or Lyft. I don't care if it looks like a cab, I don't know if it is one, unless you go to a cab stand,' he reasoned.

Along with former Secret Service agent Michael Verden, the pair spoke to Fox News to break down five strategies people can use to help get out of a kidnapping situation (stock image) 

Second, the expert urged people to do whatever it takes to prevent a would-be kidnapper from taking you to a second location.

As a first resort, simply causing a commotion, and being as loud as possible, can be an effective deterrent for opportunistic criminals. 

The more trouble you seem like you'll be, the less they'll be inclined to carry through with the abduction. 

Most kidnappings in the US aren't for ransom, but rather for 'sexual assault or violence that may result in your demise,' explained Daly.

In any public place, 'you have to scream or yell to draw attention to yourself,' Daly said. 

'There's a better chance that you won't be harmed in a public place than somewhere more secluded.'

However, if you've wound up at a secluded location, 'it's in your best interests to fight back,' he added. 

That said, Verden chimed in, if it's clear you'll be overpowered, fighting back may not be a good choice. 

'If it's a woman and the guy is twice her size, she can fight, but there is a point of no return or diminished returns — you can make it worse,' Verden said.

'I do a lot of training pro bono at schools. I can't tell a third-grader to fight a person with a gun, but I will tell an adult to fight a person with a gun.'

If your kidnapper does manage to force you into a vehicle, trying to get the attention of other drivers on the road is a good move, with your best bet being at traffic lights.

The metal part of a seat belt can be used to break a car window, just usually requiring multiple blows to the glass.

Here's how to do that, according to the Journal of Emergency Dispatch: 'With the seat belt pulled out as far as possible, and the metal clip grasped in your fist, if you strike the side window low and at the front of the window, it will break the window virtually every time on the first or second try.'

Still, an even better idea would be to carry a car window-breaker, which is available in key chain form. 

Third, the experts shared that if you've been kidnapped, stay aware of your surroundings as best you can.

Even if you are in the trunk of a vehicle, you can notice things like how many turns a car is making, Verden suggested.

Likewise, any noises - like trains or traffic - or even smells, such as a 'paper mill or a bakery' - can become crucial clues to where you're being taken.

Fourth, it is important not to lose your cool. 

'If you're still cognizant, you still have all your faculties,' said Verden.

'If you maintain your composure, as opposed to crying or yelling at the kidnapper, the kidnapper is going to see that. That could help the victim's relationship with the abductor,' he reasoned.

Also, if there's any opportunity to use the 'Signal for Help' - a hand gesture created by the Canadian Women's Foundation - do so. 

For the gesture, with your palm facing the person or camera you want to signal, put your thumb over your palm, and close your hand.

Fifth, obviously, use your phone if you can - not just to make a call but to discreetly share your location.

In May, a Texas woman with a flat tire was kidnapped by a man who'd offered to drive her to get a new tire.

As it became clear that he didn't have good intentions, she shared her location with a friend. The man then pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex and began sexually assaulting the woman.

She was able to escape the car, however, and - harkening back to the second tip - began making noise and yelling for help. 

And indeed, the ruckus prompted the man to flee the scene and quickly drive away.

Because her friend had her location, it was easier to find her after the crime had occurred. 

Cops later apprehended him at the same parking lot at which the crime had taken place.

In the US, the majority of kidnapping victims are children.

To help in the immediate aftermath of a kidnapping, Daly recommended parents download FBI's Child ID app, which stores photos and key stats about one's child to immediately pass to the authorities if they are taken.