Nancy Guthrie mystery exposes new threat targeting unsuspecting Americans letting down their guards

As the wrench onslaught mentation is gaining traction arsenic a imaginable motive for the Feb. 1 suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie, experts are informing that criminals are progressively sweeping the web for signs of wealthiness that could pb them to caller victims.

"The atrocious guys successful these cases and successful galore types of transgression cases utilize unfastened root accusation and societal media accusation to find their targets and the targets’ vulnerabilities, the unit point," said Lisa J. Miller, a retired detective and instrumentality enforcement enforcement astatine the Colorado Attorney General's Office. "News releases from companies describing wealth, societal media posts showing disconnected large expenditures, large toys, large homes. Many of america enactment astatine slightest immoderate of our lives retired determination for everyone to spot — and it’s usually the happiest part."

Although wrench attacks tin impact analyzable crypto transactions, encrypted chats and conspiracies that whitethorn transverse planetary borders, the conception is simple: A "mastermind" plans the onslaught remotely and hires section musculus to transportation retired a carnal abduction, which involves threats and unit to extract ransom.

There person been 34 documented wrench onslaught incidents successful the archetypal 4 months of 2026, according to the cybersecurity steadfast Certik — a 41% summation implicit past year.

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Savannah Guthrie returned to "Today" aft a two-month lack pursuing the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, from their Arizona location amid a suspected kidnapping investigation. (Getty Images/Fox News Digital)

While Guthrie is the 84-year-old parent of NBC's Savannah Guthrie, Miller said relatives of the existent targets tin sometimes beryllium wounded successful wrench attacks due to the fact that they are much accessible than the nationalist figures themselves.

"Nancy Guthrie could person been viewed by idiosyncratic watching [her 'Today'] conception arsenic a vulnerability, Savannah Guthrie's unit point," Miller said.

As a result, everyone could payment from minimizing the magnitude of idiosyncratic accusation astir them online.

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Pima County deputies analyse a flyer taped to the mailbox extracurricular Nancy Guthrie's location successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 23, 2026. Guthrie, the 84-year-old parent of "Today" co-host Savannah Guthrie, is believed to person been abducted from her location successful the aboriginal hours of Feb. 1. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)

"Protecting ourselves requires the accustomed things we person each been told astir earlier — restrict your societal media profiles, ne'er station photos of your home, cognize who the assemblage is erstwhile you station pictures of your children, family, disposable signs of fiscal security," Miller said. "Monitor your online beingness erstwhile it comes to what information is disposable astir you online."

There are paid services that specialize successful locking down your idiosyncratic accusation arsenic it appears online, she added, and immoderate tech firms, specified arsenic Google, volition assistance for free.

"It’s each easier said than done due to the fact that we unrecorded successful an ever-increasing integer world, wherever much radical cognize and person the skills to excavation unfastened root accusation to get information astir you," Miller said. "And who hasn’t shared the pictures of the champion and prettiest dogs successful the satellite with radical they love, oregon pics of their grandchildren?"

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WATCH: Nancy Guthrie's Nest doorbell cam records masked suspect

Not everyone who sees those posts is affable — oregon adjacent safe, she told Fox News Digital.

"Safety successful this integer satellite is precise akin to proposal I springiness women astir their idiosyncratic safety," she said. "Be aware."

While the immense bulk of documented wrench attacks person occurred successful France, the United States is simply a distant second.

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Certik identified Guthrie's lawsuit arsenic an illustration of "proxy people selection," meaning idiosyncratic other could person been physically taken due to the fact that they were much susceptible than a affluent relative. The study noted an aboriginal $6 cardinal cryptocurrency ransom demand.

A well-wisher signs a banner with a photograph of Nancy Guthrie and the words "Bring her home" extracurricular the KVOA newsroom successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 12, 2026. Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old parent of writer Savannah Guthrie, is missing from her Tucson home. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)

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"In much than fractional of those cases, the existent people wasn’t the idiosyncratic taken," Miller explained, citing Certik's study connected wrench attacks successful the archetypal 4 months of 2026.

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However, instrumentality enforcement has not publically identified Guthrie's disappearance arsenic connected to a wrench attack.

A well-wisher places flowers extracurricular the location of Nancy Guthrie successful the Catalina Foothills of Tucson, Arizona, aft her disappearance was reported connected Feb. 11, 2026. (Rebecca Noble/Reuters)

"The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has not received immoderate reports notation 'wrench attacks' successful our community," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital backmost successful May. "The probe into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance remains progressive and ongoing. When determination is simply a important update, it volition beryllium shared publicly."

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Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Fox News Digital Monday that he'd flagged the Certik study to investigators connected the Guthrie case.

Savannah Guthrie had often spoken of her Tucson roots, and "Today" ran segments highlighting her parent and favourite hometown haunts. But different wrench onslaught victims person had overmuch little profiles — yet inactive showed nationalist displays of wealthiness that whitethorn person led attackers to them, Miller said.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos speaks to the media successful Tucson, Ariz., connected Feb. 3, 2026, astir the hunt for Nancy Guthrie, the missing parent of NBC big Savannah Guthrie. (Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)

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"If Savannah was successful information the people arsenic I and others suspect...someone studied her for a play of time," Miller said. "That survey precise apt could person been to find her unit constituent due to the fact that she has information successful her New York beingness and world."

While authorities person not confirmed whether they are looking into the Guthrie lawsuit arsenic a imaginable wrench attack, the masked antheral who appeared connected her Nest doorbell camera could beryllium the hired muscle, Miller said, with idiosyncratic much blase pulling the strings and the archetypal attempts to cod ransom.

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Another representation from her doorbell camera, taken overnight astir 3 weeks earlier, showed a akin masked fig — a motion that helium did scout her location successful advance.

"Predators people others for a assortment of reasons, and it is not the responsibility of the unfortunate they were targeted by a monster who brought evil to their doorstep," Miller said.