Some of my favorite stories come from individuals caught in the grip of World War Two. Stories abound of valorous deeds done in the face of monumental opposition, from the battlefields of France to the horrors of the European ghettos. Many individuals went above and beyond the routine to achieve greatness. The thing that impresses me the most with these stories is the fact that while in the midst of doing great things, these individuals all thought they were just doing what needed to be done in the circumstances in which they found themselves.
Stories of individuals doing more than the routine are often to be found during times of great peril and stress such as in World War Two; however, going above and beyond is not the exclusive purview of war. There are many times we can see those going above and beyond in our daily lives.
What does it mean to go above and beyond? I have discovered that in the compliance field this question can be answered by taking a closer look at the outstanding members who were the recipients of the 2011 ACAMS Awards. These winners all share the commonality of putting forth the extra effort to better the compliance community by going above and beyond the typical requirements of a compliance professional. Each individual gave of their time and energy to achieve the goal of helping their peers through the sharing of their knowledge and expertise to improve the compliance community. For more insight on how they achieved and became interested in contributing to the AML mission be sure to read the in-depth interviews in the ACAMS Award and Chapter Spotlight sections.
The second headline article The Wild Frontier discusses the changing nature of cross-border money laundering and offers insights from three compliance experts on how to meet this challenge head on.
Why are the elderly targeted when it comes to financial crimes? The article The Next Tsunami: Elder Financial Exploitation answers this question and offers guidance on how to spot and prevent elder abuse.
Are lottery winners the new wave for money launderers? The lottery and Money Laundering—A Match Made in Heaven article outlines why lottery winners have become so appealing to criminals.
Also, learn how Indonesia is dealing with the forestry sector and the illegal timber business to prevent negative effects not only in Indonesia but worldwide.
I wish you all a safe and Happy New Year and let us all strive to go above and beyond in our daily fight against money launderers in 2012.
