Money Laundering Organizations and the Use of Counterfeit Chinese Passports

The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cross-Border Financial Crime Center (CBFCC) is alerting U.S. financial institutions (FIs) of the prevalent use of counterfeit Chinese passports by money laundering organizations to facilitate criminal activity. Operating throughout the U.S., Chinese money laundering organizations (CMLOs), including those with suspected...
Battling Financial Crime in the Global Payment System

The globe has become increasingly connected digitally, and cutting-edge innovations like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have helped fuel this extraordinary rise. Formerly conducted in person, the traditional payment mechanisms were later changed to banks or other third parties assisting customers with seamless transactions....

Lone wolf attacks, characterized by individuals acting alone without direct ties to established terrorist organizations, have become a pressing security concern globally. While the concept of the lone wolf is not new, the financing mechanisms behind these solo operatives present unique challenges for authorities. This...
Understanding Geographic Money Laundering Risk

Anti-financial crime (AFC) regulations worldwide require that regulated businesses assess the business risk from money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing perspectives. An important component of financial crime risk assessment is understanding and assessing the risk emanating from the geographies where business deals are conducted....
Captagon: A Dangerous Pill to Swallow

In early September 2022, Syria’s Ministry of Interior released a video showing dozens of seized hummus bowls. A bowl is subsequently picked up and peeled with a knife, revealing that the bowls were concealing an illicit drug called Captagon. According to the Ministry, pills had...

Child sexual exploitation (CSE), child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and child sex trafficking (CST) are serious crimes that adversely impact children being coerced or manipulated into engaging in sexual activity for financial gain. The ACAMS Today Back-to-the-Basics article, “Beyond The Headlines—A Real Look at Trends...
Cleaning Up Dirty Money in the Art Trade

The art market’s vulnerabilities to financial crime have recently become a growing concern in the U.S., Europe and the U.K. Increasingly, authorities have turned their attention to art market transactions, acknowledging that—like other high-end assets—the art trade is ripe for money laundering.1 Scrutiny has been...
Human Trafficking in Times of Conflict

The trafficking of human beings increases dramatically in times of conflict, and the combination of conflict and migration leaves a significant number of unaccompanied migrant and refugee children at high risk of institution-related trafficking, as well as various forms of abuse and exploitation. Orphanage trafficking...