"I have taught staff on what to do if they get abducted on their way to work, but we never really did any training for what happens when somebody nabs you at your own home," Yussman said. "And the one thing we were not prepared for was the security officer himself having his own home invaded."

Yussman said he's already incorporated that scenario into his security training for employees. He emphasized the most valuable lesson he's learned from this traumatic experience is to never let your guard down.

What was somewhat unusual about the three cases of armed extortion of credit unions last year was that the criminals used social media and cameras to target and stake out victims, Randy Spivey, CEO and founder of the Center for Personal Protection and Safety in Reston, Va., said.

"When you are targeting specific individuals to specific institutions and you're using social media, you're using surveillance, and you're looking for vulnerable times and locations, that all took planning," Spivey explained. "That's going to make these executives a little more vulnerable. What this presents to me is that the individuals that are involved in this type of crime are becoming more sophisticated, which means that the awareness and counter response needs to increase in sophistication as well."

Before most crimes are committed, criminals almost always watch their victims, and that could be for five minutes, five days or five weeks.

"What they are watching for are soft targets," Spivey said.

A soft target is someone who is not paying attention to their surroundings, even in their own neighborhood, or someone who is distracted.

In Yussman's case, for example, he parked his car in his driveway and unloaded some stuff to place in the garage. While he was doing that, he was rushed by Benanti and Witham.

Yussman acknowledged that if he had driven his car into his garage and closed the garage door, he may have been able to prevent the incident from happening.

As a service to clients, Spivey's company will watch executives and their daily habits to determine if they are soft or hard targets and make recommendations.

"A hard target is going to be somebody who is not paranoid but not oblivious," he said. "When they're walking around town or they're coming out of their house at night, they are aware of their surroundings."

Spencer Coursen, president/CEO of Coursen Security Group in New York City, said even the most basic safety and personal security precautions can significantly reduce an employee's vulnerability.

"Something as simple as modifying your daily movement, taking alternate routes to and from work, school or the gym, or even every so often driving around your block before pulling into your driveway sends a clear message to anyone taking notice that your actions are not overly predictable," Coursen said.

If you suspect someone is watching your home, call the police, Spivey said.

Spivey also recommended that in addition to a home security alarm system, you should consider installing security cameras around your home. For a couple of hundred dollars you can invest in a basic camera system that can make your home a hard enough target for criminals to avoid, he said.

If you believe someone is following you, Spivey recommended not to confront the person. Instead, he said to stop and look in the general direction of that person from a safe distance of about 20 or 30 yards away.

"I've seen people who sense that somebody is following them and they look at them and pretend that they're dialing their phone as if they are reporting it to somebody, that can be a deterrent," he said. "That makes you a hard target versus a soft target."

In addition to paying attention to your surroundings, it is important to look out for safe havens such as restaurants, hotel lobbies and libraries, as well as police and fire stations, where victims can get help if needed.

It's also important to limit the information you post about yourself on social media sites, experts said.

"We'll see individuals who sometimes will have two different profiles," Spivey explained. "They may have one that's open to the public and the information that's on there is very generic and very controlled. Executives also may have very private social media sites that they use only for very close friends and family members."

Spivey said executives need to understand that criminals may be able to use information they post on social media as an opportunity to commit a crime.

"Think about your teenage daughter and what information you'd want and wouldn't want her to put on social media," he said. "Think about all the guys that might be looking at that information and how you'd want to control that."

In addition to changing your passwords every quarter, updating software, security and privacy settings, as well as never opening unsolicited links or connecting with someone you don't know, it may be a good idea to protect your online browsing habits from being tracked or monitored.

Coursen said software exists to assist with this effort, including free options that provide access to a network of anonymous proxy servers. It was originally intended to help journalists, spies and students who live in regions of online censorship, he said.

It's also very important to regularly run virus scans on your computer and update the security features on your wireless router at home, he added.

But no matter how diligent someone is, getting caught in a hostage situation could happen to anyone at any time, experts warned. To survive a hostage situation, it's important to remember the three C's: Calm, connect and capitalize.

"The first C is you want to be a calming influence, because it's going to be a very nerve wrecking experience," Spivey said. "The reality is that most hostages survive."

What Spivey meant by connect is to help the criminals see you as a person, not as an object.

"You don't want them seeing as you as the CFO of a credit union," he said. "You want them to see you as a dad, a husband, a brother, something that connects you as a person. The reason is, it's easier to kill an object than a person. You want to engage them in a way that makes you seem like a likable person. You don't want to be rude. You don't want to be arrogant."

And then capitalize, which means to encourage the criminals to a peaceful solution that is going to meet whatever they want.

"If they want money, then you say, 'OK, well, let's see what we can do to help that,'" Spivey explained. "Whatever you do, you don't want to argue with them. You want to be a calming influence as best as you possibly can to encourage a peaceful resolution."

Although it is risky, the opportunity to escape from a hostage situation may be another option depending on the circumstances.

"The best opportunity for escape may occur in the first moments of a kidnapping," Coursen said. "Kidnappers will sometimes let down their guard momentarily or do something that can afford the victim the opportunity to escape. The kidnapper may not have considered that a victim may react by fleeing or taking a chance. If circumstances permit, try to get away."