Follow the Money

You are the lead investigator on a suspected foreign-bribery case. Follow €10m through the layers of the offshore chain. Choose the correct next investigative move at each stage.

Scenario designed by Dr. Collen Lediga, Ruhr-Universität Bochum.

Table setup · 1–6 players

Best with 3–4 (one tracing cell)

1Solo study

Run all twelve hops yourself; the dossier score reflects sequencing alone.

2Head-to-head

Race two dossiers on the same chain, fastest admissible trail wins, not the fastest trail.

3–4Case cell

S1–S4 as one tracing cell; a hop only advances when the owning seat proposes the move.

5–6Full table

Add S5 and S6. The red team may spend one 'tip-off' token per case to force a re-plan.

Seats at the table

S1Lead investigatorSequences the hops and owns the final case theory.
S2Banking analystOwns correspondent records, SWIFT traffic and account opening files.
S3Registry researcherOwns company registries, UBO datasets and formation-agent patterns.
S4MLA / international officerOwns treaty requests, timing and what a refusal costs the case.
S5Asset recovery officerOwns restraint, UWO drafting and preserving value.
S6Red team (target's adviser)Calls out every move that would tip off the target.

Team rules

01One seat, one voice: a decision is only locked when the seat that owns it says so out loud.
02Every locked decision needs a one-sentence justification the seat would defend in a real file.
03Any player may call a 60-second 'case conference' once per round to force a table discussion.
04The facilitator (or the highest-scoring player of the previous round) keeps time and reads the outcome cards.
05A hop played by the wrong seat scores half, even when the move is correct; mandate matters.

Rotation — Swap the red-team seat every case; it is the fastest way to learn operational security.

Step 1 of 4Score 0

A €10 million 'consulting fee' has just been paid from a construction firm in Country A to a company called Meridian Advisory Ltd, registered in the British Virgin Islands. Meridian has one nominee director and no website. Where do you follow the money next?