| Ninety percent of all executive kidnappings are | | | | Reporting surveillance incidents immediately to the |
| preventable by anti-kidnap training, planning, awareness | | | | police and embassy |
| and avoidance activities. A basic kidnap avoidance | | | | Changing hotel locations as a precaution |
| plan should include not catching the eyes of kidnappers | | | | Maintaining situational awareness and keeping a lower |
| and becoming a less appealing target. This should | | | | profile |
| include: | | | | Encouraging host associates to be alert for suspicious |
| Varying your times, activities, routes and schedules | | | | activity |
| Dressing inconspicuously and appropriately to the local | | | | Keeping a much lower profile during periods of high |
| culture | | | | threat |
| Avoiding loud colors such as bright reds, yellows and | | | | Being particularly alert at public gathering places |
| oranges | | | | Making it a habit of checking to ensure all appears |
| Not wearing any flashy or lavish amounts of jewelry | | | | normal each day |
| Showing as little money as possible when paying for | | | | Checking in front of your residence and place of work |
| personal items | | | | before leaving to see if there are any suspicious |
| Not roaming outside the tourist, shopping and business | | | | persons or odd vehicles in the neighborhood |
| boundaries | | | | Remaining cautious even in pleasant areas and |
| Becoming inaccessible, observant and aware | | | | avoiding locations without multiple escape routes |
| Using precaution when meeting someone you don't | | | | Getting professional assistance to deal with actual or |
| know well | | | | probable kidnap threats. |
| Avoiding secluded areas or passing close to shrubbery | | | | The basic kidnap avoidance techniques in this article |
| and alleyways | | | | should be practiced aggressively in high-risk countries |
| Not taking shortcuts and avoiding unfamiliar routes | | | | as they will have the following deterrence effect on |
| Walking facing traffic so a vehicle cannot pull up behind | | | | potential kidnap operations: |
| you unnoticed | | | | Delay your expected arrival and departure times |
| Never walking on the most direct or obvious route. | | | | Disrupt or interrupt any predictable routines you may |
| Instead, use a zigzag or roundabout path to stay | | | | have |
| unpredictable and make it difficult for pursuers to | | | | Deny pre-kidnap surveillance activities through |
| attack. | | | | security-conscious behavior |
| Avoiding daily activities that are constant, consistent or | | | | Decrease kidnapper motivation by making them |
| have a pattern | | | | believe they will not succeed |
| Always planning an alternate way out in restaurants, | | | | Destroy kidnap sequence plans by alertness, situational |
| movie theaters or cafes | | | | awareness and by taking the threat seriously. |
| Playing it cool and keeping focused if you suspect | | | | Keep safe out there and God speed. |
| pre-kidnap surveillance | | | | |