Executive's Guide to Personal Security, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 9Espionage and Fraud Protection: The Executive Perspective

MOST OF THIS BOOK IS DIRECTED at protecting corporate executives and other individuals from physical harm; protecting intellectual property (IP) and protecting against scams and other fraud seem unrelated to the other topics. We have elected to include this material because business executives are often the targets of commercial espionage or financial fraud, and the best way to protect against such acts is by modifying behavior in much the same way we defend against threats of physical harm. For example, the first line of defense against physical harm is becoming a more security‐conscious individual; awareness enhances safety. This same principle applies to defending against IP theft and fraud. Maintain a sense of vigilance and make small but significant changes to your daily routine, and you will greatly reduce your risk of becoming a victim of commercial espionage or financial fraud.

Before we get into this topic, here are a few words for clarification. We are going to provide information about a few different types of attacks. By no means, however, does this represent a complete list of these crimes; we simply provide a few examples of some of the common tactics that we have seen criminals use. We and offer them as examples as to how changing behave reduces vulnerability. You may find some surprising, even more so when you realize that many executives become victims of even the most obvious scams. We are ...