THE CASE STUDY LIBRARY 01—10

Real events.
Clearer choices.

The risks become easier to understand when you can see how they enter ordinary life. Ten case studies: what happened, what remains uncertain, and one conversation to have before your next trip or meeting.

Original sources · Dated accounts · Practical lessons
Go beyond the case studies.All incidents we know of, with source-reviewed records and unverified leads clearly distinguished.

10 case studies

Home & family01
Cher, France2025

Taken from home. Held apart.

The Ledger cofounder case shows why a household plan must extend beyond the person holding the keys.

Official account
Home & family02
Paris, France2025

The family became the target.

An attempted abduction on a Paris street brought the risk into an ordinary family outing.

Reporting citing police
Private meetings03
Hong Kong2021

A trade invitation became captivity.

A private trading appointment expanded into coercion involving accounts, phones and family.

Reporting citing police
Trading & cash04
Punggol, Singapore2023

A Telegram offer. A bag of cash.

A meeting in a public neighbourhood did not make a crypto-for-cash exchange safe.

Official account
Trading & cash05
Hong Kong2025

The trade ended. The exposure remained.

A reported cash robbery illustrates why the journey after settlement belongs in the plan.

Reported link; limited evidence
Private meetings06
New York, United States2025

Familiar contacts. Disputed allegations.

The SoHo case puts private meetings and device access in focus—and shows why attribution matters.

Disputed allegations
Trading & cash07
Dubai, United Arab Emirates2018

The office was not proof.

A broker, an office and a convincing meeting setup did not make a cash purchase safe.

Court reporting · charges denied
Trading & cash08
Milan, Italy2018

Even the first trade can mislead.

A small trial transaction preceded a violent encounter. Later reporting complicated the original account.

Initial police account · later allegations
Private meetings09
Tokyo, Japan2017

A hotel room is still a private room.

The reputation of a hotel does not verify the people who invite you upstairs.

Reported police allegations
Trading & cash10
Taichung, Taiwan2018

The phone became the point of attack.

A request to demonstrate an account can expose more than a number on a screen.

Reporting quoting a police investigator

Read the record. Keep the limits.

Developed from a security partner’s briefing and independent public sources. Police accounts, reporting and disputed allegations are labelled separately. These selected events do not measure a city’s crime rate or prove that a particular precaution would have prevented an attack. Use Report an incident for a brief, de-identified lead; confidential evidence should stay with you.

How we use evidence

Find your next step.

Search 50 cities, 54 chapters and ten case studies, or explore the incident register.

Search the full incident register
CITYDubai · United Arab EmiratesCITYAbu Dhabi · United Arab EmiratesCITYHong Kong · Hong KongCITYMacao · MacaoCITYSingapore · SingaporeCITYTokyo · JapanCASECher, France · Taken from home. Held apart.CASEParis, France · The family became the target.CASEHong Kong · A trade invitation became captivity.CASEPunggol, Singapore · A Telegram offer. A bag of cash.01Start here02Emergency numbers and bilingual card03Decide how much protection you need04Map your exposure without creating a target list05Reduce what strangers can learn06Separate daily spending from long term reserves07Make signing a deliberate activity08Backups and inheritance without new vulnerabilities09Secure phones accounts and communications10Recognise manipulation before money moves11Give family and staff a usable role12Make home entry predictable and controlled