Billionaires are more concerned than ever about the safety of themselves and their families.

Tensions spiked after the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December. Then came the January kidnapping of French cryptocurrency founder David Balland, who was held for ransom for two days while the assailants mutilated his hand, followed by an April arson attack on the home of billionaire Steve Sarowitz by a suspect who also made ransom and kidnapping threats, prosecutors say.

These assaults have come as resentment toward the rich and powerful increases amid wealth inequality, overseas wars and hyper-polarized politics. A recent Emerson survey, for instance, reported that 41% of voters aged 18 to 29 believe Luigi Mangione’s alleged murder of Thompson was “acceptable.” (Mangione has pleaded not guilty). Risk management company Nisos found that online threats against CEOs increased 41% as well in the six weeks following the shooting.

All of this has led the nation’s wealthiest people and the companies that employ them to seek out personal security at increased rates over the past few months, 13 firms tell Forbes. Five companies said the number of inquiries for their services was among the highest ever, while four said it was the highest. Allied Universal, the biggest provider of private security guards in the world, says it’s getting 1,500% more threat assessment requests than this time last year.

“A lot of companies are nervous right now,” says James Hamilton, a consultant at Gavin de Becker and founder of Hamilton Security Group. The firms that are newly investing in........

© Forbes