Kidnap & Ransom: How to Mitigate the Risk

K&R: Risks to Consider

Kidnapping and Ransom (K&R) has re-emerged as a material threat to globally mobile executives, high-net-worth individuals, and the families and organizations connected to them. Although widely underreported, recorded kidnappings have increased 60 percent between 2020 and 2025, rising across every region except Asia Pacific. Two developments are especially relevant to U.S. principals. The first is the use of deception and technology to lure targets or manufacture a crisis, such as what the FBI has called AI-enabled “virtual kidnappings”—in which criminals deploy altered images and fabricated proof-of-life media to convince a family a loved one has been taken—or romance scams, which can draw potential victims to unsafe locations. The second are cryptocurrency “wrench attacks,” targeted physical coercion in which offenders identify high-value wallet holders and use physical violence and intimidation to extract payment or ransom; with documented crypto-related physical attacks rising roughly 80 percent, from 49 in 2024 to 88 in 2025. 71 attacks have already been recorded in 2026. Wrench attacks are now a domestic reality: a Minnesota family was held at gunpoint for over eight hours and forced to transfer more than $8 million in digital assets, and a Danbury, Connecticut plot targeting a Bitcoin holder’s family drew a 15-year federal sentence.

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The risk landscape for K&R attacks is global, shaped by regional geopolitical and social factors.

The risk landscape for K&R attacks is global, shaped by regional geopolitical and social factors. Mexico remains high-risk for express and in-vehicle kidnapping – a lucrative business tied to cartel and extortion gang activity. Nigeria is the most acute mass-kidnapping environment in the world, with more than 400 abductions recorded in the country’s northwest during the first half of 2026. France has also experienced a wave of crypto-motivated kidnappings over the last two years, including the abduction of a Ledger co-founder and his wife; the country accounts for more than half of the world’s recorded wrench attacks in 2026.

Security Recommendations & Best Practices

Together these developments confirm that K&R risk is broadening well beyond its traditional geographies and methods. The heightened threat environment underscores the necessity of security preparedness, including establishing and maintaining threat response protocols to safeguard both personnel and their families.

• Practice good digital hygiene – Individuals should assess best-practice guidance to limit the exposure of personal identifiable information (PII) and mitigate digital risks, which include using distinct passwords, usernames, and multi-factor authentication (MFA), as well as the use of private social media profiles, with post visibility limited to in network users. Digital displays of wealth, luxury goods, or travel plans may increase overall security risk.
• Enhance physical security where appropriate – Individuals may consider conducting location-specific risk assessments, increasing in physical security when traveling, or taking measures to secure their residences, including perimeter deterrence practices, hardened architecture, and 24/7 monitored CCTV systems.
• Assess and Monitor Your Digital Footprint – Individuals should remain vigilant about what PII is already exposed on publicly available forums, as well as the Dark Web – which may include Social Security numbers, contact data, and associated addresses. Remediating the availability of this data, and being alerted to new exposure, can significantly mitigate personal risk.
• Travel with a security mindset – Individuals should seek to remain alert, anonymous, and unpredictable when traveling for extended periods of time. UHNWI individuals face especially high risk while traveling internationally and should be prepared with contingencies for potential incidents when traveling to areas with an elevated risk profile.
• Maintain operational flexibility and clear communications – Ongoing interstate conflicts, climate events, and travel disruptions reinforce the need for flexibility and clear communication between individuals and their security, logistics, and travel providers.