June – August 2020
Joseph Mari, CAMS: Providing the Tools to Combat Human Trafficking
ACAMS Today sat down with Scotiabank’s Joseph Mari, CAMS, to discuss the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) report “Following the Money: Compendium of Resources and Step-by-step Guide to Financial Investigations Into Trafficking in Human Beings.” In his role at Scotiabank as director,...
Thinking Outside of Silos
Search and arrest warrants had been obtained for Gerry (not his real name of course). Gerry—who was accused of operating an unlicensed money services business—had few redeeming qualities. He would move money for the devil himself if the price was right. It is highly unlikely...
Terrorist Threats Within Domestic Boundaries
Terrorism is a number of things: It is deadly, costly, constant, evolving, local, regional, global and unrelenting. Finally, terrorism is real. Yet terrorism faces two major vulnerabilities: finance and communications. These two elements underscore the importance of transforming financial intelligence into one of the most...
The Beef With Cattle Fraud
Everyone knows fraud and money laundering are two sides of the same coin. Fraudsters do what they do for one reason only—the money. Thus, fraud inherently leads to money laundering as conmen deposit, move or withdraw funds from their illicit activities. Unbeknownst to many...
Your AMLRx for COVID-19
Over the recent months, the world has been consumed by a five-letter, two-number phrase: COVID-19. As a result, many in the anti-financial crime (AFC) field have gone into crisis response mode. How will compliance deadlines be met if the entire team is out sick? What...
Four Sanctions Strategies for the New Decade
The world of U.S. economic and trade sanctions has never been more volatile and uncertain than it was in the 2010s. From the “new” sectoral sanctions that targeted globally connected Russian conglomerates in 2014, to the 2016 establishment of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action...
The Future of Investigations
In movies, investigators put the pieces together. With a massive wall of mugshots, maps and post-it notes, they connect the dots using years of honed intuition—and red yarn. It is an analytical process, and it is exciting. In reality, investigators, especially anti-money laundering (AML) investigators,...