In my experience, there’s a pattern. Someone builds wealth, influence, or public standing. Life gets busier, more visible, more connected. And then, often without warning, that visibility turns into vulnerability.
It might start with an odd message. A payment request that doesn’t quite add up. A social media account saying things that aren’t true. A stranger who seems to know too much. Most people dismiss these early signals. They’re busy. They assume it’s a one-off. They don’t want to seem paranoid.
By the time they reach out to someone like me, the situation has usually escalated.
β οΈ The three threats that keep surfacing
Over the past two years, three distinct risks have appeared with increasing frequency among the clients we work with β ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and those whose public profile attracts attention they never asked for: impersonation, reputation attacks, and fixation.
These threats share a common trait: they exploit information that’s already out there. Your name, your habits, your staff, your schedule, your family β all of it available to anyone patient enough to look.
π¦ Why these threats are accelerating
Three things have changed.
First, there’s simply more information available about prominent individuals than ever before. Company filings, property records, social media, charity announcements, staff LinkedIn profiles β all of it sits in the open, waiting to be harvested.
Second, the tools have caught up. Voice cloning that once needed studio equipment now runs on a laptop. AI can generate convincing messages in someone’s writing style using a handful of examples. The barrier to entry for sophisticated attacks has collapsed.
Third, wealth itself has become more visible β and more resented.
𧳠The gathering problem
There’s another factor that rarely gets discussed openly: the events designed to bring influential people together.
When principals, family office heads, and executives converge at a summit or invitation-only gathering, the security perimeter might look impressive. But something else is happening in the margins.
Not everyone present is who they appear to be. Service providers, event staff, even fellow delegates may be there with secondary motives β collecting names, observing routines, noting who’s travelling with whom, and harvesting contact details for later use.
Business cards get exchanged. Conversations happen in hotel lobbies where guards are down. Email addresses and phone numbers change hands with people who’ve barely been vetted beyond their registration fee.
Then everyone goes home. And that’s when the follow-up begins.
It’s already happening.
π΅οΈ This isn’t theoretical.
| π CASE NOTE (real-world example) |
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| We recently concluded an investigation for a client who had concerns about someone in their circle.
On paper, this individual was impeccable. Photographed with Hollywood stars. A member of some of the world’s most exclusive private clubs β the kind where admission alone is treated as proof of legitimacy. Except our investigation established that this person isn’t who they claim to be. The fabricated identity had been constructed carefully over years β credential by credential, relationship by relationship. Each new connection provided cover for the next. The persona was so well-embedded that questioning it felt almost impolite. If it can happen to someone with every resource available to them, it can happen to anyone.
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π§ Why this series
Over the coming weeks, I’ll publish three detailed guides β one each on impersonation, reputation attacks, and fixation. Each will cover how the threat actually works, the warning signs most people miss, and practical steps to reduce your exposure.
This isn’t about creating fear. It’s about creating clarity.
Coming next week: Part One β Impersonation and Social Engineering.
β The Monday morning checklist (print this)
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π Two-step verification for money, movement, and meetings
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βοΈ Fixed call-back routine on known numbers
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β³ A hard rule: no urgency exceptions
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π§Ύ One pen-holder for responses (draft + approve)
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π A short, verified facts pack ready to go
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ποΈ Early-warning log for fixation and boundary crossing
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π₯ Team brief: what to report, to whom, and how fast
π£ Help this reach the people who need it.
If you know someone who’d benefit from this series, please share it. These threats succeed partly because people don’t openly discuss them.
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For deeper conversations, the Defuse Global podcast explores real cases and examines what actually works.
And for the full framework, my book Personal Threat Management covers everything from recognising warning behaviours to building a security culture that stops problems before they start.
π‘οΈ CTA: Reduce what can be used against you
If you want to limit the amount of personal and operational data that can be harvested and weaponised, ask us about the Defuse Global Privacy Package. Itβs a practical clean-up designed to reduce your exposure and remove the easy building blocks that make impersonation and unwanted attention so effective.
