Kidnap, Ransom, and Extortion Response Services

Understanding the Risk and Threat Landscape – Insights from Experts

When we talk about Kidnap, Ransom, and Extortion, there’s no script threat actors follow, nor is there a formulaic method that is a must-have. The tactics vary based on who is being targeted, how many criminals there are, and what their end goal is. But the outcome is always the same. Companies that understand the evolving risk landscape, along with our extortion services team and capabilities, can handle anything that comes their way.

Our experts provide critical support and financial guidance to ensure that you are fully prepared, no matter the situation. Whether it’s a kidnap for ransom or a complex extortion, our consultants are equipped to assist at every stage.

Here’s why we know being prepared for KRE matters:

Global Kidnapping Risks

You may think that kidnapping only happens in war zones and unstable governments, and while that is true to an extent, it is also common in busy cities, slow-moving villages, and during routine travel when you don’t expect anything.

Executives, journalists, aid workers, and local staff are often the most common targets, especially if they work for foreign companies in places like Latin America, parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.

There’s this misconception that kidnapping only happens abroad or involves foreigners with an agenda, but the risk isn’t just about geography. Prominent public figures and companies in the spotlight are targets right here at home—and it’s more common than you might think.

Extortion Tactics

In the past, criminals or those who wanted to cause harm chose direct threats or violence to extort someone or compel them to act out of fear.

Nowadays, just like we’ve evolved, so have they, and many times extortion presents itself as virtual kidnappings, where a scammer tricks families of employees into believing that their loved one or executive is being held, and they demand payment without committing the actual crime.

Product contamination extortion can target your reputation and customer trust, while cyber-physical blackmail can threaten the release of your sensitive information unless you meet the criminals’ specific demands.

Since criminals design these threats to send you into a panic, they know that you’ll be more inclined to make a rash decision – we have seen this happen in companies that didn’t have a clear response protocol. We don’t want to count you among them.

Impact of Businesses and Personnel

Let’s say a KRE incident happens to your company. What can you expect? Your immediate concern should first be about the safety of the person involved.

What comes after that?

• Unexpected financial strain if you had to pay the ransom or if operations had to stop until the matter was resolved.
• Legal liability if you didn’t have a clear response plan or if you sent staff to a high-risk area without exhausting all threat opportunities.
• Damage to your stellar reputation that will take years, manpower, and money to resolve.
• Emotional and psychological trauma for the victim and their loved ones, which you’ll need to manage in addition to thousands of other things you handle daily.

The Importance of Preparedness  

Here’s the truth – you can’t always foresee or prevent a kidnapping or extortion, but what’s in your control is how you’ll improve or change the outcome.

How? A proactive plan means:

• You’ll always know who to call
• You’ll have people who won’t freeze under pressure
• Your staff will be briefed, aware, and protected before they travel or make high-stakes decisions
• And what we know is the most important reason, you’ll reduce the chance of losing lives, money, or reputation.

At ROWAN Security, we operate on the belief that being prepared is being powerful, and we’re ready to save lives, prevent chaos, and give you control when it matters the most.

Preventative Measures, Training, and Policy Capabilities

Preparation can mean the difference between containing an incident and the crisis spiraling out of control, and we believe in the former, which is why we arm our people with the tools, knowledge, and awareness to see danger before it strikes.

How do we go about it?

Crisis Management Drills

Would your team know what to do when an employee is kidnapped or your company receives a credible threat? The answer should be a resounding yes; if not, with our simulations and tabletop exercises, we can make this happen.

When participating in our drills, everyone learns to make critical decisions under pressure, manage internal and external communications, and work with law enforcement or international partners.

Our drills aren’t just theoretical; they’re practical and fast-paced to expose weaknesses in your current plans and strengthen coordination before a crisis occurs.

Executive Security Training 

Your business leaders and key personnel are often seen as prime targets—hitting you where it hurts the most, whether that’s financially or reputationally. We know the roles they play, and we’ve designed a customized training program just for them, focusing on:

• Situational awareness so they know how to look at their surroundings for surveillance or tactics criminals can use to set them up.
• Travel safety protocols for when they need to move discreetly from the airport to their hotels and other locations.
• Routine disruption techniques. Because if they’re predictable, they can easily be seen, which makes them easy targets. That’s why we teach them to mix up their schedules and routes.

Intelligence
Monitoring

Knowledge is power, and in high-risk situations, it’s also protection – we offer real-time threat monitoring and alerting tailored to your company’s operations.

With us, you’ll get travel alerts and advisories for the regions or countries you frequent, geopolitical intelligence to signal increased risk in an area, and custom updates for when your people are on the ground moving or working.

Once you know what’s happening at your location, you can make informed decisions and adjust your plans before issues escalate.