FBI, Cyber Attacks, and Kung Fu Masters: The Wild Story of My Barter Deal Gone Wrong

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This week’s email is a business story I feel compelled to share. Enough time has passed, the key players have moved on, and the dust has long settled—so it’s finally safe to tell.

Bartering services is a rite of passage for many entrepreneurs, especially in the early days of building a business. For me, though, this wasn’t uncharted territory. I was well into my 12th year as a business owner, with a handful of barter deals under my belt. Some went great, others... not so much. Here’s my advice upfront: if something about your potential barter partner doesn’t sit right—be it a twitchy vibe, over-the-top sales pitch, or just plain weird energy—trust your instincts and proceed with caution.

Now, let’s dive into the tale.

It all started innocently enough. A neighbor mentioned a new self-defense school in town that offered a free trial class for kids. My son and I decided to check it out. He seemed to enjoy it, and I met the owner—let’s call him “Leon” for the sake of this story. Leon and I struck up a conversation about his program, and before I knew it, he was rattling off his résumé. Champion swimmer. Martial arts instructor for special forces. Columnist for a black belt magazine. Inventor of self-defense training products. Former millionaire who lost it all in the stock market but somehow still managed to drive a flashy SUV. At the time, I was impressed. Later, I’d realize this was red flag number one.

After the class, I looked up Leon’s business online. Surprise, surprise—no website. I emailed him the next day with a simple proposal: I’d build him a website in exchange for training lessons for my son. Win-win, right?

“Leon was all in.”

The Website That Spiraled Out of Control

I got to work. But from the start, Leon was frustrating to deal with. He had little content to share, didn’t want to feature his training products (only a mysterious “new one”), and dragged his feet on providing assets. Still, after a few weeks, the site was live. I figured we were good. My son was enjoying the classes, and I was happy to watch him learn.

But Leon kept asking for more. More features, more bells and whistles. And then came the complaints: “Why isn’t my site getting traffic?” I explained that he needed more content—his larger-than-life martial arts stories would be perfect for drawing interest. He scoffed at the idea. Instead, he asked me to build an e-commerce shop. That wasn’t part of the deal. When I told him it would cost extra, he got angry, claiming the site was worthless and he was giving away his “expert training” for free. Red flag number two: disrespecting the value of my work.

The breaking point came on a quiet Sunday morning. I opened my email to find a message from MediaTemple, my hosting provider (at the time). My account—housing over 30 client sites—had been suspended due to a massive DDOS attack. The culprit? Leon’s website.

A Digital Storm Like No Other

I scrambled to contain the damage. MediaTemple suggested isolating Leon’s site on a different host, which worked for a few days—until the attacks followed. Four hosting providers and countless hours later, I was at my wit’s end. Nothing stopped the attacks.

Desperate, I reached out to contacts in the WordPress and cybersecurity communities. Sucuri, a leading web security firm, agreed to help. They routed Leon’s site through their Web Application Firewall (WAF). The attack was so massive that it crashed even their robust system. One of their reps told me, “Mike, this isn’t random. This is like a mafia-style hit.”

I confronted Leon, asking him point-blank: “What aren’t you telling me?” He deflected, blaming me for the attacks, calling my work subpar. But I knew there was more to the story.

The Truth Unravels

After another fruitless conversation, I made my decision. I burned an archived copy of his site onto a CD, handed it to him, and told him I was done. That’s when Leon finally cracked. He confessed he’d been romantically involved with one of his adult students—whose husband was now launching these attacks.

I told him two things: “First, come clean to your wife. Second, call the FBI Cybercrime Division. They’re your only shot.” Leon said he’d think about it. I pulled my son out of his classes and walked away.

The FBI Comes Calling

Months later, I got a call from an unknown number. It was the FBI. They wanted everything I had on Leon. I gathered my notes, emails, and files—another half-day gone—and met two agents at a coffee shop. It felt straight out of a Jason Bourne movie. They asked question after question, making it clear they suspected Leon had more skeletons in his closet.

As for Leon? He fled the country. Whatever secrets he was hiding, they were big enough to make him vanish.

The Takeaway

When it comes to bartering, trust your gut. If something feels off, it probably is. I was lucky to walk away with just wasted time. Things could have gone much worse had I gotten deeper into Leon’s chaos.

In the end, bartering can be a valuable tool—just make sure you’re trading with someone worthy of your time and energy.

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I’d love to hear if you enjoyed this story! Your thoughts mean a lot and help shape future content. Until next time, stay tuned for more!

Mike
Your StoryPath Guide