The thought of a kidnapping for most people is a subliminal thought below the surface of consciousness, so the notion of hiring an Executive Protection Specialist is more of a Hollywood make-up need and not a proactive approach to tangible and real danger.
Who would ever think that a social networking website could become the source of a kidnapper’s portfolio? This is exactly how Ivan Kaspersky’s (son of Evgeny and Natalya Kaspersky co-founders of global computer software security company) kidnappers found out how vulnerable of a target he was.
One would think that a Tycoon whose fortune is estimated around $800 million, would have around the clock Executive Protection for himself and his family. Then, the kidnapping of his son would be a hypothetical case-not an actual event.
There are many cases like Kaspersky’s where high profile individuals underestimate the power of greed and desperation of those criminal minds who would stop at nothing in order to get their hands on ransom.
Monday, June 6, 2011 Yoni C. an executive protection specialist in the article “Do they need to get hit to understand?” illustrates many such cases and the reasons why “individuals with money and power need protection for themselves and their families.”
Have a great weekend
Hucky
Looking forward to reading the article. Great comments by both Hucky and Alonzo.
Yes, I think it’s hard for most of us to understand how magical thinking can rule some people, and especially the powerful and smart ones who should really know better. But many seem afraid that taking steps to protect themselves will somehow cause “bad things” to “happen”.
It’s the same line of thinking than antis use when they claim that the presence of a gun will do more harm than good in case one is attacked (or that going after terrorists will somehow make them angrier). They prefer to blame and demonize inanimate objects rather than take an objective look at how the world is, and change the way they’d react to it (what we call being prepared).
Sometimes I’ll ask someone whether they have a weapon for home protection and they’ll respond with, “it’s not me”, but I’m not talking about THEM. Closing their eyes to rapists, burglars, and other home invaders does NOT make those disappear! I guess it’s human nature too to bury one’s head in the sand.
So under a low to medium threat level, most clients don’t even want to hear about the risks we see or rehearse protocols. They reluctantly pay for our presence, and tolerate us as a necessary “evil”, but are not interested in knowing what we know or how we do what we do.
Ironic that someone who made a fortune developing and marketing protection against online threats found himself so vunerable to those of the real world. Talk about blinders! Denial, denial, denial…
Thanks for bringing this up, Hucky – I think it’s important that we realize how and why many protectees may not want our services, or may resent our efforts to keep them safe.