Matthew Yussman, CFO for the $122 million Achieve Financial Credit Union who also doubles as the Berlin, Conn.-based cooperative's security training officer, was a victim of an unusual criminal plot that he never saw coming.

Last February, Brian Scott Witham and Michael Anthony Benanti took Yussman hostage, duct taped a bomb to his chest and forced him into a failed attempt to rob his own credit union. They targeted Yussman, as well as two other credit union employees and their families, via social media sites and used portable cameras to case their victims.

Although executives and employees who work in the financial services industry may be at a higher risk of becoming targets of criminals, security experts say credit union employees can take steps to protect themselves and reduce their risk of becoming the next victim. Security experts also shared what employees can do to survive a hostage situation.