How Do Predators Choose Their Victims?
Most people think it's random.
Wrong place, wrong time. Bad luck. Could happen to anyone.
That thinking feels safe. It also leaves you completely unprepared.
The evidence is clear: predatory violence is rarely random. It follows a pattern. And once you understand that pattern, you can interrupt it.
This post breaks down exactly how target selection works — based on documented cases, survivor accounts, and research on criminal behaviour. No fearmongering. No fantasy scenarios. Just what you actually need to know.
If you are an instructor teaching regular people and this is not already a priority in your curriculum, keep reading.
One important note before we go further.
Most violence against women does not come from a stranger in a parking lot.
It comes from someone known to them. A partner. A family member. Someone in the home.
That is a separate and critical conversation — one we will cover in a future post.
What this post focuses on is stranger-based predatory behaviour. The targeting system. The lures. The signals. Because that knowledge has real value too, even if it is not the whole picture.
The System Behind It
Before we get into specific signals, understand this one idea:
Predatory behaviour follows a pattern.
Every documented case — from Ted Bundy to John Edward Robinson to Christopher Wilder — followed the same basic sequence:
Target selection
Approach or lure
Isolation
Control
Good news.
Interrupt any one step in that formula. The whole thing falls apart.
You do not need to win a fight. You need to make the earlier steps fail.
That starts with Step 1: why they chose you in the first place.
What Predators Are Actually Looking For
One thing worth saying before we get into specifics.
Ted Bundy was good-looking. Charming. Well-dressed. Smart.
That was not a coincidence.
Good-looking does not mean good person. Danger rarely looks dangerous. That is the entire point of the approach. The lure only works if it looks normal.
We are conditioned to associate threat with a certain look. Predators know this. They use it.
Keep that in mind as you read the rest.
Predators do not wander around picking people at random.
They conduct what researchers call an "interview."
Not a formal one. Not even a conscious one in every case. But it happens.
They are testing you. Watching how you respond. Reading your body language. Deciding whether you are an easy target or too much trouble.
1. Body Language That Signals Low Awareness
Are you looking at your phone?
Are your shoulders curved inward?
Are you walking with your head down, earbuds in, moving quickly but distracted?
That combination sends a signal: This person is not paying attention.
Predators specifically target people who appear unaware of their surroundings. Not because they want someone who is weak. Because they want someone who will not notice the early warning signs.
On July 14, 1974, Bundy approached at least five women at Lake Sammamish State Park. Same location. Same afternoon. Same fake arm sling, same sailboat story. Multiple women said no and walked away without incident. One woman followed him to his car — then ran when she realized there was no sailboat. Two women did not make it home that day.
The women who said no did not fight. They just declined and left.
The selection process started before he said a word.
2. Body Language That Signals Low Confidence
This is slightly different from awareness.
A person can be fully aware but still signal submission: avoiding eye contact, taking up as little space as possible, apologizing when approached, answering questions they did not need to answer.
Gary Ridgway — the Green River Killer — did not target women randomly. He specifically selected people who appeared less likely to resist, less likely to be believed, and less likely to be quickly missed.
That calculation was made in seconds.
Perceived confidence is a real deterrent. Not because it scares predators off completely. Because it raises the stakes of the approach. Most predators are not looking for a challenge. They are looking for an easy target.
3. Isolation
Are you alone?
Are you in a location where no one is watching?
Are you distracted by circumstance — carrying bags, managing kids, rushing, stressed?
Having another person with you is one of your biggest safety assets. Predators want easy and unwitnessed. A friend changes both.
Samuel Little — confirmed by the FBI as the most prolific serial killer in US history — specifically targeted women who were socially marginalised: unhoused women, women in financial difficulty, women whose disappearance might not immediately be investigated. His selection process was not emotional. It was calculated.
Anything that makes you appear more isolated is a green light to a predator.
4. Situational Vulnerability
This goes beyond being alone.
Are you in financial difficulty and therefore susceptible to an "opportunity"?
Are you in an emotional state that makes you more likely to accept support from a stranger?
Are you in a relaxed, trusting environment — a park, a university campus, a ski resort — where you might lower your guard?
John Edward Robinson did not approach women in parking lots. He built relationships online over weeks and months. He sent gifts. He offered jobs and housing. He targeted women who were struggling and positioned himself as the hero.
The women he harmed were regular women living normal lives. He was a master of manipulation who took advantage of their trust.
"I've known him a while" is not the same as "I actually know who he is."
The Lure Patterns (What to Recognize)
Once you understand what predators look for, their intentions become more obvious.
The Distraction Lure Fake injury. Dropped items. Asking for simple help. Predators know most people will help rather than appear rude.
Ted Bundy wore a fake arm sling and asked women at Lake Sammamish to help him unload his sailboat. He ran that same lure on at least five different women in the same park on the same afternoon. Multiple said no and walked away safely. One followed him to his car, saw there was no sailboat, and ran. Two women did not come home.
Same lure. Same day. Different decisions. Different outcomes.
Counter: You can decline without being rude. A simple "no" is not rude and as Gavin de Becker, author of The Gift of Fear says, the word "no" is a complete sentence. You are not obligated to help a stranger.
The Authority Lure People in a position of authority or perceived authority.
Carol DaRonch was 18 when a man identifying himself as "Officer Roseland" told her someone had tried to break into her car and asked her to come with him. She did — he appeared to be police. He drove her away and attempted to handcuff her. She fought back, opened the car door, and threw herself onto the road. Her testimony convicted Bundy.
She did everything right based on the social norms she had been taught. The lure was built to pressure test those norms.
Counter: Real authority does not require you to go somewhere private or isolated. A real police officer will not ask you to get into an unmarked vehicle alone. You can ask for a badge number and call the precinct.
The Opportunity Lure Modelling. Photography. Jobs. Financial help. Exciting experiences.
The more desirable the offer, the more scrutiny it deserves — not less.
Christopher Wilder posed as a fashion photographer in shopping malls. Today, the same lure runs on Instagram DMs.
Counter: Confirm identification before any meeting. Share your plans with trusted friends or family.
The Secondary Location Transition
This is the single most important line across almost every documented case.
The moment you move from the original location to a second one — especially a vehicle — the risk increases dramatically.
Ask yourself why they want you at a secondary location. Simple answer — they cannot do what they intend to do where they are. Public spaces mean witnesses. Witnesses mean risk. A secondary location removes both.
Counter: You can always say no to moving. You can always decline a ride. A person with legitimate intentions has no reason to require you to leave. The discomfort of appearing rude is nothing compared to what your intuition is already telling you.
After 30 plus years of teaching, these are some of the skills the women I have worked with have found most valuable.
What Confident Non-Victim Body Language Actually Looks Like
This is not about looking tough.
It is about looking present.
Research and survivor accounts point to the same things consistently:
Head up. Not scanning for threats. Just present and aware.
Eye contact. Not aggressive. Just clear. "I see you."
Deliberate movement. Purposeful pace. Not rushed and distracted.
Appropriate personal space. Willing to step back or step aside, not frozen.
Verbal directness when needed. A clear "no" without excessive apology or explanation.
None of this requires in-depth or specialized training.
None of it requires acting tough.
It requires being present. That is a skill. You can build it.
The Core Principle
Under stress, you do not rise to the occasion.
You fall to what you can remember.
That is why this matters more than any physical technique.
If you understand how victims are selected, you will recognize the warning signs early — before the situation escalates.
You can ask yourself: Am I being sized up right now?
And if the answer is yes, you can act early. Before force is ever required.
Prevention is not a passive skill. It is the most powerful one you have.
Want to Go Deeper?
If you are a self-defence instructor, this content forms the foundation of a single powerful class.
You do not need to teach everything. Teach the pattern. Teach students to recognize it early.
That is what recall under stress actually looks like.
Explore SAFE Certification to see how we build this into a full curriculum that regular people can actually remember.
Or start with our SAFE Free Resources to see how SAFE approaches violence prevention differently.
Download the Free Guide: 6 Lures Predators Use and How to Spot Them
And if something in this post hits close to home, my inbox is open. No pressure. Just a conversation. [email protected]
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