Blog

Bodyguards as personal security aren’t just for celebrities to keep the paparazzi away or to protect them from overzealous fans. Celebrities in Los Angeles, while they are out and about are generally accompanied by their Bodyguards for multiple reasons, but they aren’t the only ones who require Personal Security Specialist anymore. Are you are on the list of people whose safety would benefit from hiring a Bodyguard? Personal Security for Divorcees and Domestic Dispute Victims In these types of unpleasant situations, emotions often run high and can get out of control, which can lead to either spouse becoming fearful for their safety. It’s not uncommon for anger or frustration to turn into a full-blown domestic violence act. Having a Bodyguard present deters a volatile confrontation. Bodyguards are trained to monitor the volatility between the spouses, thus keeping both parties safe by defusing the situation. Personal Security for CEOs and Executives Unfortunately there are times when a business person achieves enormous success and has amassed significant wealth only to become a target for kidnapping. All of these people are considered high profile clients who maintain a full time top tier Executive Protection team as they travel around the world. These highly successful CEO’s are often subjected to criminal threats such as extortion accompanied by threats of physical harm to their family members. CEO’s and their subordinates must always remain vigilant about disgruntled or terminated employees as well as unhappy customers or clients who might seek retaliation against the company. The Personal Protection provided by their Bodyguards closely resembles the tactics used by several government agencies such as the Secret Service. Personal Security for Owners of Valuable Goods or Information The transportation of high-end jewelry is always at risk of an armed robbery. The proprietors of high-end jewelry stores are also vulnerable to armed robbery, and they are well-advised to hire a Bodyguard to ensure they’re protected from theft and personal harm. What might not be known is that this would also include someone in possession of classified information or materials. With the increased rate of violence in America and around the world, high-net-worth individuals, executives, political figures, well-known jewelry lines, celebrities, and the public in general, have become increasingly concerned about their safety. There is a remarkable increase in the redesigning of residential and corporate security systems and an increase in hiring qualified Bodyguard personnel. Personal Security for Targets of Attention Others who might consider having personal security could become potential targets because they might have won a lottery or are a crucial witness to a criminal act or someone who stumbled into a worthy inheritance. All these examples relate to the need for a Bodyguard. Even if someone is momentarily in the public eye, threats do loom. Regardless of where you live and what you do, providing you have the means to hire a Bodyguard should you find yourself in a situation where you or your family’s safety is threatened, do not waste time contemplating the hiring of a Bodyguard.

Researching personal bodyguard services can be overwhelming. We understand it can be frightening to learn that someone is seeking to harm you or your loved ones? Who can you trust to protect you and your family? PERSONAL BODYGUARD SERVICES: KNOW YOUR BODYGUARD’S CREDENTIALS If personal bodyguard services is what you would want, then you should be looking to hire a well-trained skilled Bodyguard also referred to as an Executive Protection Specialist who has either been in the military, performed diplomatic protection on behalf of the Department of State or was a former law enforcement officer. HIGH-NET WORTH INDIVIDUALS As a high –net worth individual, you appreciate the value of having qualified Bodyguards with you when traveling abroad. Many of our clientele travel worldwide several times a year sometimes on business or while on vacations with their families traveling either on a private yacht or plane. Over time, these high profile clients (many are celebrities) appreciate how vitally important it is to have rock-solid professional Bodyguards assigned to their family or concert tour during their travels, be it in China, South East Asia, Europe, The Bahamas, Majorca, the Cote De Azure, Japan, Latin America, and the USA. SECURITY WHILE SHOPPING Many of our clients enjoy shopping in the fashionable boutiques and elite department stores located in the major cities such as Paris, Berlin St. Trope, New York, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, South Hampton, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Boston. These clients are seasoned travelers through previous bad experiences know it is best to be accompanied by Professional Bodyguards. Unfortunately, some of our clients personally experienced being robbed while going in and out of luxury boutiques carrying shopping bags containing exquisite purchases. Lessons learned they never again would shop without having a personal protection Bodyguard(s) with them. SECURITY DURING BUSINESS MEETINGS We accommodate many clients who are anxious about attending a contentious business meeting, a deposition, or court proceeding, and they will request personal bodyguard services. Sometimes it is intimidating to the attendees in the meeting when a mean looking Bodyguard walks in with a client. We instruct our Bodyguards to enter a room with the client with a cordial smile and nod to the attendees. We have experienced meetings where an overzealous Bodyguard from the adversarial party came in acting like an attack dog which caused all the attendees to leave the meeting. Expect your Bodyguard to conduct an advanced survey of the building where your meeting will be held to know where the closest exits are and where your transportation should safely park. SEVERE SECURITY RISKS Upon learning that a client received egregious verbal threats or worse yet was physically assaulted, we will conduct a thorough risk assessment of the client’s residence and place of business. We’ll inquire whether local police were notified and if the assailant is stalking the client. Testing will be conducted on the functionality of all existing CCTV and alarm systems in the residence and business locations. We will test the residential grounds for any attempt at underpinning the walls or landscape of the property. Electric gates to the property will be checked for functionality. Upon completion of our personal bodyguard services assessment and after consultation with the client, we will determine with the client’s approval how many Bodyguards will be assigned to the client and his family. Kidnapping for ransom is a serious concern of many clients we represent. OUR BODYGUARDS ARE NOT DAY DREAMERS Our Bodyguards are trained to react quickly and to remain diligent at all times. Our client’s safety is first and foremost. Many of our Bodyguards men and woman have endured life-threatening situations while deployed in the Middle East as well as on the city streets across the USA. There is one imperative take away from this article, which is vital to the safety of a client that is the Advance Survey and subsequent preparations. Please take a moment to peruse our accolades here. We believe you will find comfort in knowing you have one of the finest personal Bodyguard Services Companies in America at your disposal. Should you be planning a trip abroad, please know we maintain an active list of International Bodyguards to serve you anywhere in the world.

Often, when people hear the term, private investigators, they conjure up an image of a scruffy looking man wearing a raincoat or envision Sherlock Holmes, the infamous fictitious private detective. Some might picture that classic scene in Mission Impossible when Tom Cruise stealthily dropped down from the ceiling hanging by a cord (or was he a private investigator?) There are many common misconceptions of what a private investigator can do. So before hiring a private investigator, familiarize yourself with some of the more common misconceptions: They can make legal arrests In the U.S., private investigators are not authorized to make an arrest, per se, but they do have the ability to make a citizen’s arrest if need be. You can find an explanation about a citizen’s arrest here They can hack into social media or email accounts Although it might seem like everyone can do this in 2019, it’s not something you will see done at the hands of a private investigator. Even if Jerry O’Connell might portray otherwise on the TV show Carter. PIs help to identify hackers; they are not involved with hacking activity, albeit they don’t want to spend time in prison. They can access bank and medical records  This misconception isn’t so black and white. Although PIs cannot access medical records, they can interview witnesses who are familiar with the patient/subject they are investigating. The latter allows them to tap into useful information about the subject’s medical history, helping to further the investigation. Private Investigators cannot access banks or any financial institutions. They can record conversations without consent When a PI wants to record a covert conversation (without permission) they best check the laws in the state they are planning to record in. The law varies by state. For example, if you’re in Los Angeles California, you cannot record someone without their consent. However, should you be in New York, you can record someone without their permission. New York is known as a one-party State. They can trespass on other people’s property As dramatic as it might appear in the movies, private investigators cannot break into someone’s home, car, office, or any place the person inhabits without the consent of that person. Private Investigators cannot read other people’s mail or take a person’s mail from their mailbox. However, if the private investigator wants to find some useful information on a subject, they can take their trash as long as the trash is outside at the curb waiting to be picked up. The right to privacy ends at the curb, according to a United States Supreme Court decision. Boy oh boy would you be amazed at what private investigators learn from someone’s trash. Now that you’re informed about these common misconceptions, you will be way ahead of the game. In Los Angeles, infidelity investigations are among the most common investigations requested by clients of Private Investigators. Other more common investigations have to do with surveillance investigations, civil and criminal investigations, and background investigations. Set your expectations appropriately and know what you can legally find out. With the help of a qualified, reputable private investigator, you very well may learn the truth which can set you free.

Have you wondered whether your Bodyguard would take a bullet meant for you? For the most part, no one can foresee the future or predict how someone will react under extreme stress. With over twenty-eight years’ of experience vetting Bodyguards for our Los Angeles and international clients the honest answer is you do not know. There is no surefire way of knowing but these two theories might help; 1.Is your Bodyguard in your opinion truly loyal to you and has he /she demonstrated overtime a sincere concern for your safety? 2. Has she/he been properly vetted by a professional Personal Protection Company who delved deeply into the Bodyguard candidate’s background? LEARN AS MUCH A POSSIBLE ABOUT YOUR BODYGUARD Worldwide Intelligence Network has been vetting of Bodyguards for twenty-eight years and thankfully we never had a single adverse incident occur. It takes years of knowledge and experience to recognize a true professional Bodyguard. Many Bodyguards enter the field of Person Protection after being discharged from the military. When vetting a veteran seeking Bodyguard employment, it is essential to inquire about their training and whether they were deployed to a theater of operation. We counsel veterans seeking a career as a Bodyguard also known as a Personal Protection Specialist to think about enrollment in a professional Bodyguard/Executive Protection Academy. Other candidates are former law enforcement officers many having served on dignitary protection details for the US Government. Retired or former Secret Service and CIA Agents also like working in the private sector because there is not that much traveling involved and they can spend more time with their families. For those who do not fall into the above categories but want to become Bodyguards are well advised to also enroll in Bodyguard academies and work as apprentices for several months while going through on the job training. WHEN FAMILY OR EMPLOYEES ARE THREATENED Predicated upon the threat and the Bodyguard’s knowledge of the person or persons making the threat, the first thing to do is to gather up all family members and immediately remove them from their residence, their work place, school or at a friend’s home. Then relocate them to a safe place until the threat is eliminated. Should a business be threatened the first thing to do is to lock all entrances and exits and call 911immediately. These procedures are referred to as neutralizing the threat by making it all the more difficult or impossible for the perpetrator to carry out the attack. Dressing up like a Bodyguard portrayed in the movies doesn’t make the client safe. ADVANCE PLANNING IS KEY TO PROTECTING CLIENTS A great amount of pre-planning is involved when protecting a celebrity, executive, high-net-worth person or privileged individual. It takes research, logistical planning, conferring with law enforcement, analyzing floor plans of venues, knowing where the closest emergency hospitals are in relation to the client’s itinerary. All of those preparations contribute to the health and safety of their client. Preparedness involves conducting a thorough advance survey of the location (s) where their client’s appointments will be or where the client will perform such as a venue or concert hall. Advance surveys involve knowing where the ingress and egress is at each location to make sure the client has immediate transportation available should an emergency arise and also to avoid overzealous fans, paparazzi or a vast group of news reporters. Click this link to see a perfect example of how poor planning almost jeopardized Lady Gaga safety. A simple check by one of her Bodyguards on the conditions outside of the hotel where Lady Gaga was exiting would have avoided the onslaught of paparazzi. The Bodyguard must take into account what if a demented individual is among the throng of people there to cause physical harm to Lady Gaga? Professional Bodyguards plan all of their client’s moves in advance, and they make sure their client remains out of harm’s way at all junctures. As this blog explains, there is much for a professional Bodyguard to do other than walk alongside, in front of or behind their client. The key to Personal Protection is being diligent, observant, aware, streetwise, and to always focus on how to take their client out of harm’s way. Here is an ideal example of being aware.

A story of a bank fraud private investigation, authored By Robert Mann, Director of Worldwide Intelligence Network. Worldwide Intelligence Network is a global Private Investigation and Bodyguard Services company with our office located in Los Angeles. WHICH EMPLOYEE STOLE THE COMPANY’S MONEY Occasionally we share a bank fraud private investigation case we conducted with the public that we believe is vital intelligence that may prevent them from becoming a victim of a highly sophisticated cyber intrusion that would target their company’s bank account. The following is about an investigation we conducted on behalf of a Beverly Hills entertainment company who discovered a large sum of money was stolen from their bank account. They suspected the culprit might be someone in their employ and they asked our help in determining who could have perpetrated the crime. Prior to accepting the assignment our Director of Operations conferred with the prospective client and suggested that in addition to the employee interviews he would like one of our cybercrime specialists to look at the company’s computers. We learned all the company’s employees use Apple/Mac Laptops. WITH BANK FRAUD, ALL EMPLOYEES ARE SUSPECT We accepted the assignment and commenced interviewing all of the employees separately while our cyber specialist examined each of their laptops for any unlawful intrusion/hack. During the interviews, we learned that the entire staff had a meeting a week or two before the theft about how not to open any document or link that appeared suspicious. We found it rather unfortunate while interviewing one of the employees who admitted to opening a PDF link to a document she thought came from her boss. THE HACK IDENTIFIED Our cyber specialist tracked down that particular PDF document and identified it as one that contained rather sophisticated malware. The link to the PDF document was an instruction to this specific employee to send a wire transfer to a particular vendor. The document appeared to be signed not only by her boss but also by the CFO of the company. THE INCREDIBLE PATIENT HACKER As the investigation progressed, it became apparent that a very sophisticated hacker had studied the processes the company used to issue payments from their account payable system and duplicated a bogus account payable account and have it appear as if it had gone through all the proper channels with the authorized signers’ emails listed on the PDF document. It did not take long to uncover that an unlawful intrusion by someone with an infinite amount of patience and endurance penetrated their account payable system and pulled off a theft involving a rather large sum of money withdrawn from our client’s bank account. ALL EMPLOYEES CLEARED There was no happy ending to this bank fraud private investigation case, except to say that all of the employees were cleared of wrongdoing. It is also a lesson always learned verbally to verify any instrument requesting a wire transfer.

The following article is being published on our Blog with the permission of Mr. Peter Warmka whom we are most grateful to. What you are about to read in the following article is rather astonishing considering how complex yet how easy it was to accomplish. 01 September 2018 by Peter Warmka, CPP Peter Warmka, CPP, is director of business intelligence for Strategic Risk Management and an adjunct professor for Webster University’s cybersecurity masters program. He is a frequent speaker on social engineering threats at conferences for trade associations and wealth management advisory firms. Warmka is a member of ASIS International. Chief financial officer Malcolm Fisher never thought he would be victimized by cybercrime—until a social engineer successfully impersonated him and bilked his company out of more than $125,000. It was relatively easy for the criminal to identify Fisher as a high-value target given his crucial position within the company—his bio was readily available on the company website. And Fisher’s social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn revealed several bits of information that marked him as a dream target for a diligent social engineer. Fisher frequently participated in poker tournaments and was not modest in describing his success at the table. He posted about attending an upcoming tournament in Las Vegas and cataloged his travel plans across social media platforms. Shortly after his arrival to Las Vegas, Fisher received a text message from what appeared to be the tournament organizer providing a link to the updated schedule. When he clicked on the link, nothing seemed to happen—but he had just unwittingly provided the social engineer with entry into his company-issued mobile device. Knowing that the tournament started at 11 the next morning, the fraudster hijacked Fisher’s email account and sent an urgent message at 11:15 a.m. to a colleague. The email—supposedly written by Fisher—instructed the employee to immediately wire $125,000 to a vendor, noting that he would be out of touch for several hours because he was attending the tournament. The employee, never questioning his boss’s instructions, immediately processed the wire transfer. While Fisher left Las Vegas very pleased with his tournament winnings, he soon learned that he was the one who got played. This scenario is not unusual. With more focus than ever on enterprise cybersecurity and preventing data breaches, many executives believe that technology alone provides sufficient protection against such threats. But sophisticated threat actors—whether they be nation states, criminals, activists, or disloyal competitors—will frequently target the most significant vulnerability found in most organizations: the human factor. The interaction between human beings and the technology meant to protect the organization is commonly referred to as the weakest link in security. The most common method used by these threat actors to exploit the human factor vulnerability is social engineering. In fact, according to the 2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, more than 90 percent of successful security breaches start with some aspect of social engineering. Social engineering is the skillful manipulation of organizational insiders to undertake certain actions of interest to the social engineer. Insiders are not only employees of the organization—they include anyone who may have unescorted access into a target organization, including service providers such as the guard force, cleaning crews, catering companies, vending machine stockers, maintenance contractors, and more. Greater awareness and insight into this process provides a better opportunity to mitigate the risk of social engineering attacks. COLLECTING THE DATA Prior to launching any type of attack against the target, a professional social engineer will spend time collecting available open source information. While such collection may be from a variety of resources, the most frequent medium is simple online research. Almost every organization has a website with information about the company, its products and services, executive profiles, press releases, contact information, and career opportunities. While all such sections may provide useful information to a social engineer, executive profiles—which often contain full names, titles, pictures, and a brief biographic sketch—provide considerable insight into key insiders and where they fit into the organizational structure. Career opportunities, along with company contact information, provide exploitable details and a portal through which a social engineer may seek direct or indirect contact with the organization. Job postings and reviews. Whether posted on the organization’s website or advertised on online job boards, job postings can provide a wealth of information. At a bare minimum, such postings will usually reveal the basic preferred IT qualifications sought from an applicant, providing valuable insight into the operating systems and software programs the organization uses. The job description might also provide insight concerning potential expansion of the organization, whether it be geographically or through a new product or service. With a job posting, an organization is inviting contact with someone from the outside. It provides social engineers an opportunity to electronically submit a cover letter or resume—either directly through human resources or to someone else within the organization chosen by the social engineer to forward the resume onward. The email, along with attachments, can be a medium to introduce malware into the target’s system. While less frequently exploited, such job postings can also create opportunities for social engineers to interview with the employer and elicit sensitive information. Employer review sites such as Glassdoor can provide useful workplace insights posted by employees. These reviews inform the social engineer about the pulse regarding the morale within the organization. Generally, it is much easier to manipulate a disgruntled employee than someone who is happy and loyal to his or her employer. SOCIAL MEDIA AND SEARCH ENGINES While an organization may aggressively use social media to help promote their products and services, an unintended consequence can be the leakage of exploitable information. Employees often upload photographs of themselves and coworkers in the workplace, revealing information about physical workspaces to include actual floor plans, office configurations, security system hardware, IT systems, employee badges, or employee dress. Much of this information can be extremely useful if planning an actual physical intrusion into the company. Creative Google searches will take the social

Often, people seeking the services of a Private Investigator have a misconception about what to expect when meeting with a Private Investigator. Some folks conjured up images of Magnum PI, Columbo or Monk as they begin their search for a Private Investigator to help them with their issue. However, in today’s day and age private investigators come in all shapes and seldom resemble Private Investigators on TV. You might ask how does someone become a Private Investigator? Do they attend a specific college or university? Are they retired law enforcement officers? For the most part, the majority of Private Investigators are retired law enforcement officers who rapidly learn the investigative tools once available to them while they were active law enforcement officers are no longer at their disposal. For many that represents too much to overcome and some give up and live off their pensions while others flourish after learning how to maneuver as a civilian investigator. Retired law enforcement officers also have to acclimate to the fact that they no longer have the authority to serve warrants, knock down doors or enter a private residence without permission. The days of breaking into a suspect’s home, planting a listening device, tapping a suspect ’s phone or installing a hidden camera is unlawful. Even attaching a GPS tracking device on a suspect’s vehicle is illegal. Nearly all states in the USA require Private Investigators to pass a written examination and a background investigation to acquire a Private Investigator’s license. No investigative assignment is like any other. The objective of an assignment might be the same such as an infidelity investigation. However, to achieve the investigative goal inevitably encompasses its own set of unique challenges. It is when the private investigator personally experiences those challenges over time and learns how to overcome them is when the private investigator attains the status of a top notch PI. Some fortunate folks become Private Investigators when a highly regarded old school private investigator takes them under his wing as an intern and teaches them the ins and outs of being a top notch Private Investigator. However, if the intern does not have an innate intuition, keen observation skills or is unable to read whether a subject or witness is being truthful then he pretty much needs to find another profession. Conversely, should the intern possess the skills mentioned above they must understand that they are entering a profession with hundreds of thousands of competitors throughout America and around the world. The private investigator must also learn how to market themselves to be found by potential clients. The majority of potential clients are; business people, married couples, parents, law firms and insurance companies seeking to know whether a claim is fraudulent. Many investigative assignments pertain to criminal cases and predicated upon a Private Investigator’s conscience will dictate if they will take on a case when they know a defendant is guilty. Integrity, professionalism and caring about a client’s concerns are what makes some Private Investigators stand out among all the others.