Why the Misinformation Around Tax Is Making the Wealthy Genuinely Unsafe
By Philip Grindell MSc CSyP, Founder & CEO, Defuse Global
🚨 A Growing Pattern of Attacks
January 2025: French crypto founder David Balland kidnapped and mutilated.
April 2025: Billionaire Steve Sarowitz’s home torched after ransom threats.
“Their crime? Being visibly wealthy in a world where success is treated like guilt.”
These aren’t isolated incidents — they’re part of a wider shift.
Wealth has become a target.
🧩 The Dangerous Narrative
Repeated misinformation about “tax fairness” is fuelling resentment, creating risk.
💷 The facts tell a different story:
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The top 1% of UK taxpayers (≈500,000 people) contributed £93.8 billion in 2023–24.
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That’s 33% of all income and capital gains tax.
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The top 100,000 paid £55 billion.
💬 “One per cent of taxpayers carried a third of the tax burden.”
Yet public conversation paints wealth as wrongdoing.
Once you’re cast as the villain, the pattern is predictable:
scrutiny → exposure → harassment → violence.
📈 The Reality on the Ground
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Allied Universal reports 1,500% more threat assessments this year.
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Forbes reports security firms at record demand levels.
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Following the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 41% of young voters said the killing was “acceptable.”
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Online threats to CEOs spiked 41% in just six weeks.
“The level of fear among the upper classes and their children has reached an all-time high.”
— Amanda Uhry, New York
🎯 The Three Modern Threat Types
1️⃣ Fixated Individuals
People who personalise you build a story where you are the problem.
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Escalate from online watching to real-world following.
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Know your routes, car, and children’s schools.
2️⃣ Ideological Actors
Activists who see exposure as justified.
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Track private jets, publish addresses, organise protests.
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Example: 2024 Stansted private jet attack.
3️⃣ Disgruntled Insiders
Ex-staff or advisers with motive and access.
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Leak personal or financial data.
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Example: Capita fined £14m after a breach exposed client information.
😔 The Human Cost
“My clients are exhausted.”
They’ve built businesses, created jobs, paid taxes — and now they:
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Check exits at restaurants.
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Reconsider social media posts.
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Worry about strangers filming their families.
It’s not paranoia. It’s the psychological toll of being visible and successful.
🔐 Why Traditional Security Isn’t Enough
Cameras and gates won’t stop digital reconnaissance.
💡 Reality check:
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A bodyguard (£120k/year) ≠ for protection.
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True executive protection starts at £2m+, combining physical, digital, and behavioural layers.
What works is Behavioural Threat Assessment — the same US Secret Service model Dr Robert A. Fein trained me in, and the one I used to prevent a planned terrorist attack against an MP following Jo Cox’s assassination.
Threats don’t appear overnight — they build.
If you know what to watch for, you can intervene before violence occurs.
🛡️ The Defuse Global Approach
1️⃣ Digital Exposure Control
🧩 We find what’s visible about you online — then remove, seal, or monitor it.
Our Privacy Package® cuts your digital footprint before others can exploit it.
2️⃣ Behavioural Threat Intelligence
🎯 We analyse intent, capability, and escalation patterns — not just “mentions”.
This is what separates monitoring from understanding risk.
3️⃣ Proactive Crisis Management
🧭 We plan for breach response, protest management, insider risk, and harassment.
When a crisis hits, you’re not reacting but executing a plan.
The outcome: control, calm, and psychological freedom.
❓ Questions to Ask Yourself
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How much of your private life could be pieced together online?
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Who in your circle has motive and inside knowledge?
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Are you prepared if you appear in tomorrow’s headlines for the wrong reason?
If these questions make you uneasy, you’re not paranoid. You’re being realistic.
💬 Final Word
“The threats are knowable, manageable, and preventable — if you work with people who understand targeted violence.”
Wealth shouldn’t require an apology.
It requires intelligent protection.
📞 Let’s Talk
In just 72 hours, our Digital Exposure Assessment will show what others can see —
your family, assets, travel patterns, and digital trail.
Protect your privacy.
Protect your peace of mind.
