Brits have been urged to check travel advice before booking holidays to popular destinations as several carry Foreign Office kidnap warnings.

Mexico, South Africa, Colombia, and Brazil are among the most visited destinations with specific kidnap and abduction alerts on the Government’s official travel advice pages. Security experts warned of opportunistic attacks such as express kidnaps, when a person is abducted for a short amount of time, and kidnappers force victims to withdraw money at an ATM to secure their release. There are also alerts in Kenya, Nigeria and the beach paradise of the Philippines.

Craig Morgan, a specialist from insurance broker SJL, said the gap between public perception and the reality of kidnap risk abroad remains a serious concern.

“Most people associate kidnapping with conflict zones or news headlines, but the data tells a different story,” he said. “Express kidnapping in particular is a fast-growing threat in destinations that Britons visit in their millions each year. “

He claimed: “The majority of incidents go unreported because victims are released within hours, which means the true scale is almost certainly higher than official figures suggest.”

In Mexico, the FCDO warned that kidnapping is more common in some areas, but tourists are not usually targeted. However, it said that express kidnappings can happen, particularly in urban areas. “Longer-term kidnapping for financial gain also happens, and there have been allegations of police involvement,” it added.

In Colombia, it warned that express kidnappings were “common”, and criminals often pose as taxi drivers to track and select a victim, often from around ATMs at night. In Brazil, the FCDO warned that express kidnapping “can happen” and that the kidnappers “may use violence”.

In the Philippines, all travel is advised against for western and central Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago due to kidnapping risks. In Kenya, it warned of a “high threat” of terrorist kidnap, especially in northern counties bordering Somalia.

In Nigeria, the FCDO warned that terrorist groups were “highly likely” to carry out kidnaps, and in South Africa, express kidnapping may happen.

Security experts have also warned of virtual kidnapping, when criminals contact relatives claiming a loved one has been abducted and demand immediate payment, sometimes using AI-generated voice technology to simulate the victim’s voice.

Morgan added: “The good news is that a few simple precautions can significantly reduce your risk. Awareness is half the battle, most tourists simply don’t think about these things before they travel.”

The FCDO advises all travellers to check its country-specific guidance before booking, stating that travelling against official advice can invalidate standard travel insurance policies.

For those travelling to higher-risk regions, specialist kidnap and ransom insurance, separate from standard travel cover, can provide access to crisis response consultants and negotiators in the event of an incident.

Security specialists at SJL advised travellers visiting higher-risk destinations to take the following precautions:

• Check the latest FCDO travel advice before booking and again before departure.
• Avoid hailing taxis from the street, use hotel-arranged, licensed or app-based transport only.
• Withdraw cash from ATMs inside banks or shopping centres during daylight hours, not isolated street machines at night.
• Avoid displaying expensive watches, jewellery or technology in public.
• Limit real-time location sharing on social media while travelling.
• Share your full itinerary and accommodation details with a trusted contact at home before departing.