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Today's parents grew up with the concept of "stranger danger" but the reality is that far more children in the US are kidnapped by parents than by strangers.

Some single parents live with the constant fear that their children may be abducted by the other parent while many believe that it could never happen to them. In fact, there is no way to absolutely predict which parents will try to kidnap their children, but there are risk factors and warning signs that should not be ignored.

Be aware of the possibility of any abduction. Although there are no foolproof warning signs for abduction risk, some indicators should not be ignored. Do not stick your head in the sand and pretend that your child is not at risk.

Peter Thomas, Parent of an abducted child and author of Chasing the Cyclone

 Common characteristics of parents who abduct their children

The presence of the following issues does not guarantee that a parent will attempt to abduct their children and the absence of these issues does not guarantee that an abduction will not occur. Still, when these characteristics are present, parents, lawyers, judges, and law enforcement officials should be especially vigilant.

• Prior threats to abduct, attempts at abduction, or a history of custodial interference
• A history of domestic violence or allegations of domestic violence against the other parent
• A history of using the children as pawns to control or manipulate the other parent
• Dual citizenship, a history of living abroad, a desire to live abroad, or friends and family living abroad
• Strong social and cultural ties to another jurisdiction or a lack of social and cultural ties to the child's home jurisdiction
• No financial ties to the child's home jurisdiction (unemployed, can work anywhere, or financially independent)
• A history of mental illness, especially parents who are paranoid-delusional or sociopathic
• A feeling of being disenfranchized or betrayed by "the system"

Behaviors that may indicate an abduction is imminent

While there can be a logical explanation for some of these behaviors, they should raise red flags when coupled with the characteristics above.

• Threats to abduct the children or talk about taking the children and going underground
• Unexplainable removal of cash deposits and diminished assets, or unexplainable increases in credit card or bank debt
• Concealment of new credit cards or bank debt
• Concealed, hidden, and abrupt communication with individuals or family members living in a foreign country
• Concealed, hidden, and abrupt communication with a lawyer
• Frequent trips with the child to a foreign country without the other parent
• Refusal to leave the child with the other parent while traveling abroad - It should be noted that many cases of parental abduction begin with one parent taking the child "on vacation" and then abruptly filing for divorce or custody in a foreign country or another jurisdiction
• Activities such as quitting a job, selling a home, terminating a lease, closing bank accounts, or liquidating assets
• Attempting to hide or destroy documents
• Applying for a passport, birth certificate, school or medical records
• Attempting to interfere with the other parent's access to or communication with the children

Once a child is abducted, it is extremely difficult, dangerous, and costly to find and recover the child. Parents must be aware of the risk of parental kidnapping and take the threat seriously in order to stop an abduction before it occurs. If you believe your child is at risk of being abducted by their other parent, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your child but you need to act fast. Contact your local law enforcement agency and a lawyer skilled in family law and child custody.

Many thanks to Peter Thomas for contributing to this article!