CASE STUDY: EMERGENCY RESPONSE

INCIDENT: Corporate client employee was extorted for money while traveling for business in Peru.

LOCATION: Peru

SERVICE: Emergency Response

SITUATION:
While traveling in Peru, an American employee of a corporate client received a cryptic text, followed by a phone call, from an unknown person looking to extort him for a large sum of money. The caller provided information only known to the traveler and instructed him to retrieve money and make a drop to avoid the consequences of not meeting their demands. While driving to withdraw money, the traveler called Global Guardian’s 24/7 Operations Center for emergency support.

RESPONSE:
Upon receiving the emergency phone call, the Operations Center provided immediate direction to the traveler to stop the withdrawal of any money and to continue to move around—while maintaining constant contact with the Operations Center team—until agents were able to reach him. After Global Guardian contacted their on-the-ground Peruvian security partner, two agents were swiftly dispatched to a secure location to meet the traveler. Using WhatsApp, the Global Guardian team guided the traveler to the secure location, where he safely met the agents just over an hour after placing the emergency call.

During this time, Global Guardian alerted the corporate client and communicated all details as the situation unfolded. The on-the-ground agents permitted the traveler to return to his hotel, where they set up an overnight watch to ensure the safety of the traveler, as well as six other employees of the corporate client staying at the hotel location. While no other employees were targeted with extortion threats, Global Guardian worked with the client to determine that all employees would be transported out of the area as soon as possible. The team set up secure transportation for all six employees to their home locations within Peru, and arranged safe transportation for the American traveler back to the U.S.

Working in concert with on-the-ground agents and the corporate client, Global Guardian was able to successfully manage and secure the emergency situation, providing a safe outcome for all parties involved.