Jeff Rossen - Rossen to the Rescue: Secrets to Avoiding Scams, Everyday Dangers, and Major Catastrophes

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To Danielle, my true soul mate, who always comes to my rescue.

And to my kids, Skyler, Sloane, and Blake

The best experiments of my life.

D O YOU KNOW HOW TO survive a plane crash? How to spot bedbugs? What if someone breaks into your home? What if a contractor is trying to rip you off?

Most of us dont know any of this stuff. And most of us dont even consider it. Its human nature. Our brain makes a simple assumption: Because nothing disastrous happened yesterday, nothing disastrous will happen tomorrow.

Yet theres one tiny problem with this logic. Disasters do happen. They happen to good people. For the past several years, Ive crisscrossed the country to research the surprising ways our luck can turn on a dime, how to respond in every kind of emergency, how to sniff out hidden dangers, and how to save you cash.

Thats my mission with Rossen Reports. As the national investigative correspondent for NBCs Today show, Ive spent years putting myself into the shoes of well, you. I try to solve your problems. I consult with the nations top experts on earthquakes, webcam predators, fake rubies, and everything from train safety to rigged carnival games. My goal is to give you tips, strategies, and takeaways that are actually usefulnot some theoretical mumbo jumbo.

I also believe in learning by doing. And I believe in putting my money where my mouth is. So, to find out how to survive an avalanche, I actually buried myself alive. (Spoiler alert: I got out.) I was stranded at sea to show you how to survive, I trapped myself in a car and drove through a flood (my wife was so thrilled), and I walked across hot coals barefoot. This book will take you inside my dramatic experiments and the stuff I couldnt show you on TV. Im also getting super personal here. Revealing things about my own life Ive never shared before. Some of it is emotional. A lot of it is embarrassing. But since you bought this book, you are now my friend. And friends get full access.

I began working on this book, in a sense, when I was eleven years old. My mom took me to a mall on Long Island and we saw a man sitting behind a desk doing a live radio show. He was surrounded by speakers. He was balding, overweight, and he spoke into a microphone. A crowd of maybe ten people circled around him, mesmerized. I turned to my mom. I want to be him someday. I want to do that.

And, in fact, I did turn into that guy. (At the very least, I certainly lost some hair and gained some weight.) I weaseled my way into a college radio station at the age of thirteen, doing whatever odd jobs they would give me, fascinated by the DJ flipping switches and touching buttons. I asked him question after question while he played a college mix of reggae and jazz and pop and classical. Whats that button do? How do you change the sound mix?

In high school, I somehow talked my way into an internship at ABC Radio. (Not unrelated: Girls werent exactly banging down my door. I like to think it was my orange neon shorts, not my personality.) But it finally paid off. It all led to a real reporting job at the ABC affiliate in Syracuse while I was still a full-time college student. After graduation I moved to Detroit, then to New York, and then, ultimately, to NBC News. From the very beginning, I was fascinated by two core questions: How can I help people? And How do I cut through the crap?

Thats what this book is all about. Real stuff. Real people. Sometimes the advice can save your life, sometimes it can save you cash, and sometimes it can save you some calories. There is one bit of advice, however, that you will never hear: Dont panic.

I HATE that phrase. Put it into the junk folder. Not only is the advice clichd, its just stupid. Because in a life-threatening situation, you will panic. Its unavoidable. I know this because I constantly throw myself into these harrowing scenarios and, every time, I panic. The human body has a fight-or-flight mechanism that is designed to unleash at times of anxiety. Panic is in our bones. Its better to just know that you will panic, accept it, and factor it into your plan.

Now, you might have a very reasonable question: Okay, so if I cant avoid panicking, then what can I do?

You can learn some tricks, and dramatically boost your odds of survival, from natural disasters to crooked contractors. Lets say, for example, a mold inspector visits your house and slaps you with a $700 bill. Should you pay? Is he legit? This book gives you some simple solutions. There are a few buzzwords you can say, a few things you can do, to send a message thats crystal clear Mess with the next guy, not me.

Heres the honest truth: When Im not on TV, Im just the guy whose toilet broke, and needs to find a plumber to fix it. Or the guy whose car got a flat tire. Or the guy whos worried about the safety of his kids. Or the guy who is helping his mother fight cancer, hugging and hoping and praying. Im just a guy . Thats where all these stories come frommy random questions about how to spot hidden dangers, how to stay safe, and how to sniff out a scam.

And Ive learned a few things. After years of near-death experiences, tests in laboratories, interviews with experts, and more experiments than I can possibly count, I want to share what Ive learned with you.

It just might save your life.

W E THINK OF OUR HOMES as safe. A place to unwind, relax, and recharge. Yet if were not careful

How to Survive a Home Invasion

How to Spot Hidden Mold

Why Your New House May Catch Fire

You Probably Dont Have a Fire Escape Plan

Help! Im Locked Out!

When the Bottom Falls Out Literally

Surviving Mother Nature

Secret Spies Inside Your Bedroom

1986. Midnight. I was ten years old, sound asleep in my bedroom. My brother was asleep in his room, and my parents asleep in theirs.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The sound woke me up.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The sound came from downstairs. It didnt sound like my father or a friend or a neighbor who came to borrow a cup of sugar. The sound was terrifying. Alien.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

I pulled the covers close to me. I was paralyzedmy family had never discussed a safety plan in case of a home invasion, and I didnt know what to do. I stayed frozen in my bedroom.

My father, however, did not stay frozen.

I heard my parents bedroom door swing open, and my father raced from his room and flicked on the lights. He suddenly transformed into an action-movie hero.

Were home and I have a bat! my father screamed, charging downstairs. He jumped seven stairs at a time, headlong into the face of danger. I have a bat! he yelled again.

My dads heroics worked. He scared the would-be robber away and, as we crept downstairs into the kitchen, I saw something terrifying. The bang, bang, bang had come from a thief kicking the dead bolt on our back door. The lock was busted. The door frame was cracked. One more kick and he would have been inside, and then who knows what. It had been raining that night, and when I looked outside I could see footprints in the lawn. I can still see those footprints. And I still have a lingering fear of home invasions; even when I travel, I avoid first-floor hotel rooms.