THREAT REPORTS
Corruption around the world // 2018
For as long as there have been institutions and governance of any significant scale, corruption has existed. Nevertheless, while the existence of corruption is universal, the scale of corruption varies amongst societies and, notably, the perception of levels of corruption vary amongst different countries – i.e., some countries are perceived to have very little or virtually no corruption; whereas, in some other countries, corruption is assumed to be endemic. The non-governmental organization (NGO) Transparency International, yearly, publishes the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) an index of countries that are rated by how corrupt they are perceived to be. Investopedia describes the CPI as a scoring mechanism – a score of 0 indicating extremely high levels of corruption and a score of 100 indicating low levels.
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THE SKINNY ON VIRTUAL KIDNAPPING
The growth of interconnectivity – especially low or no-cost communication around the world has led to many efficiencies. For example, individuals can work on projects with team members that spread all over the world and families with a loved one serving in military can video chat using a service such as Skype of Google Hangouts. The growth, however, is not all positive. As individuals found with e-mail as it matured, scammers and other criminal perpetrators take advantage of new technologies to expand their scope of operations and to seduce unwitting individuals into sending them money. A new dark trend, virtual kidnapping, has emerged and authorities are cautioning the public as it has already ensnared some who have been left poorer and emotional distraught at the experience.
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The Most Dangerous Cities In The World // 2018
Individuals traveling overseas often check the travel advisories from the Department of State prior to traveling to unfamiliar countries to determine if additional safety precautions must be taken or if specific areas or regions ought to be avoided. The State Department also offers a convenient color-coded map to provide guidance to travelers.
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