Former Secret Service Agent Suggests Better Security Measures for Kim Kardashian Following the Paris Robbery

How the reality star can prevent future scares

By Kendall Fisher Oct 04, 2016 6:47 PMTags
Watch: Former FBI agent Breaks Down Kim K.'s Security Flaws

After the terrifying Paris robbery Kim Kardashian faced on Sunday night, many celebrities have amped up their security teams and are seeking ways to make sure something like this never happens again.

E! News sat down with a former secret service agent, Evy Poumpouras, to discuss what went wrong the night Kim was bound, gagged and held at gunpoint and the suggestions she'd make for the reality star and other celebs moving forward.

"You see this a lot with celebrities. They often hire security teams that have done bodyguard work or were former police officers…but protection and policing are two very different things," Poumpouras explained. "One of the mistakes security teams make is when someone is tucked in [at home]…they think that they're safe, and they're not. And so security teams will drop their presence, and now you leave that person vulnerable, which is exactly what happened here." 

She continued, "Security is around the clock, 24 hours. There is a way to do it. There's a way to make sure she's safe and secure. In this case, so many mistakes were made."

Poumpouras suggested Kim seek a consultant from the military or the FBI who can help take her security team to the next level. "You don't need a lot of numbers or man power," she said, revealing the most important thing is brain power. "Security is all-encompassing. It's physical security, it's mental security, it's social media, it's cyber security, it's your home. Security is all around you, and when you're on that level, like Kim is, you have to be aware of that."

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All the Kardashians' Paris Fashion Week Looks
Watch: Former FBI agent: Social Media Is a Security Breach

Speaking on the topic of social media, Poumpouras doesn't think Kim necessarily needs to change who she is as one of the most famous people on the Internet. Rather, she encourages the reality star and other celebrities to be more wary of what they're posting and when.

"Whenever you put anything about yourself out there—you know, Kim's putting out her jewelry—whenever you do anything like that, people are going to take notice," she explained. "She puts her jewelry, other people put their car, their fancy houses, their Chanel or their Gucci bags. All of that has value. You can't not share with the world yourself, that's part of who she is."

Poumpouras suggested, instead, "If you're traveling with all this beautiful jewelry, post it after the event. Post it after you've left that city. Always have a delay when you post things. I think that's a smart strategy. Again, if you have a good security team or someone who understands security, they're going to filter what you post."

Thus, her biggest piece of advice is this: "Before you post anything, look at it…[ask yourself], 'What information could I possibly be putting out that could be misconstrued, that could hurt me, that could lead somebody else to me?'...If you're a celebrity, don't give that away. Don't tell people where you go, don't tell people where you're sleeping at night. Ever."

As E! News previously reported, five men dressed as police officers and wearing masks gained access to Kim's room in the No Address Hotel on Sunday night. They gagged her, bound her hands and feet and held her at gunpoint before putting her in a bathtub and stealing more than $11 million worth of jewelry.

"She begged for them to let her live and [said] she has babies at home. Then they wrapped her mouth in tape and put her in the bathtub," a source told E! News. "She thought they were for sure going to kill her."

Fortunately, the robbers ran off with the jewelry and left her alive. She escaped shortly thereafter and has since returned to New York City where she is currently staying in a rented apartment with a massive barrage of security protecting the building.