How to Invest Your Money Wisely

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), illegal funds derived from criminal proceeds account for 3.6 percent of global GDP, with 2.7 percent (or USD 1.6 trillion) laundered as of 2009. Over the last few decades, there has been an increase in the amount of money involved in money laundering.

Quantifying the scope of money laundering is a difficult task due to the illegal nature of the transactions involved. Even though there are restrictions in place to prevent money laundering, those who engage in this activity are constantly looking for ways to circumvent these regulations. The following factors aid money launderers:

Countries with a widespread problem with bribery and corruption

Locations or industries with a low likelihood of uncovering instances of money laundering
Countries with ineffective anti-money laundering systems and policies
Globalization of financial markets and transfer of financial resources
Different countries’ anti-money laundering regulations are inconsistent.
Transactions can now take place relatively quickly due to technological advances.
While the aforementioned factors encourage money launderers, professional specialists with a deep understanding of the intricate processes that anonymize the source of funds obtained through illegal activity hold the key to combating or reducing the attractiveness of money laundering.

Lawyers, accountants, and investment bankers, on the other hand, are more likely to be involved in money laundering activities, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Other professions are also at risk of being involved in money laundering.

Identifying Weak Links

Money launderers began looking for vulnerable areas in Europe after the disorganized fall of the Soviet Union, such as regions where watchdogs lacked adequate equipment. They looked for financial institutions that had a reputation for lax oversight or that were potentially complicit. Banks in Cyprus and Malta experienced massive cash inflows via various financial channels.

As a result of their pivotal role in the unfolding story of filthy Russian money, the Baltic countries of Estonia and Latvia have emerged as major participants as conduits to the west. The fact that Russian is spoken by a large population in former Soviet Union countries added to the appeal for Scandinavian lenders, who rushed to enter high-growth sectors.

Money was able to be cleaned up further and transferred around with fewer scrutiny thanks to the use of western correspondent banks. Danske Bank A/S, a Danish financial institution, has admitted that a significant portion of the approximately $230 billion that passed through its Estonian outpost may have been tainted by criminal activity.

How to Hide Your Assets Through Real Estate Investing

The final step of the process is integration, and this is where money laundering with real estate can be effective. At this point, the filthy money has been cleansed, allowing crooks to buy goods with a lower risk of being caught.

As a result, the purchase of the property necessitates the use of illegal funds. For as long as the criminal owns the property, the money will be hidden beneath it. People are free to enjoy the assets they have obtained dishonestly using laundered money until the assets are sold. They walk away from the transaction with perfectly clean money from the buyer, and no one knows what happened.

This is because the real estate industry is subject to fewer regulations than other businesses such as banks. For example, the United Kingdom allows foreign organizations to buy landed properties with only a few inspections. Furthermore, they can do so even if they are not physically present in the country. Furthermore, the regulations governing the protection of personal information prohibit the disclosure of their identities.

As a result, money launderers have the opportunity to set up their own offshore companies, complete with the necessary documentation, and then use the ill-gotten gains to purchase real estate in the United Kingdom.

How to Purge Your Bank Account Using Gambling

The online market now accounts for more than one-third of total gambling revenue in the United Kingdom. The amount of money deposited into the accounts of online casinos and digital sportsbooks is skyrocketing.

A common method used by those who launder money is to deposit a large sum of money into a gambling account. Then, to maintain appearances, they place a few low-stakes wagers before gambling away their entire account balance. If the crooks are patient enough to divide their loot into many smaller sums, this process will be much more difficult to detect.

They can then open dozens of betting accounts with deposits that are significantly lower than a threshold that is likely to draw attention. They withdraw their funds from the account after a short period.

Under these conditions, any paper trail will appear to be genuine and devoid of any wrongdoing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has acknowledged that even licensed websites allow users to transfer large sums of money between accounts.

And this is an industry in which dozens of unregistered websites are launched every day, some in jurisdictions where regulatory systems are either non-existent or non-existent at all.

Money Laundering on eBay

E-commerce websites are not immune to illegal activity when used to launder money. Money launderers have numerous opportunities to clean dirty money on popular websites such as eBay, which provides them with good opportunities. Unsuspecting clients are duped into participating in these schemes, unaware that they are assisting criminals in laundering their illegal wealth.

Fraudulent listings on eBay are one way dishonest people try to conduct business with illegal funds. [Citation required] [Citation required] It appears to be a legitimate deal, but in reality, the price is usually absurdly overpriced for the type of goods being sold, and the selling price makes no sense. The procedure is as follows:

Assume Jim has a client who is interested in purchasing something illegal, such as narcotics, stolen goods, or firearms. Instead of conducting the transaction in cash, Jim informs his customer that he will list the item in question on eBay at a price that is significantly higher than the item’s market value. Following that, he will send the customer a link to the item. A “prearranged sale” is the term for this type of transaction.

The ridiculously expensive item will not sell, but Jim’s customer will buy it and pay for it via Paypal even though no one will buy it. Furthermore, eBay receives its fees, and PayPal receives the 3% fee that it charges. Nobody suspects anything when Jim sends a box of rocks or some other insignificant item to the customer’s address and no one finds out about it.

After the transaction is completed on eBay and the funds are deposited into Jim’s account, he arranges to meet with his customer to hand over the actual products, which may once again be illegal drugs, firearms, or other types of contraband. The transaction is completed, money is exchanged, and illegal products are delivered, and none of this is detected by authorities because it all occurs under the radar.

Professionals Who Facilitate Money Laundering

Lawyers, accountants, and other professionals may be professional enablers of economic crime and corruption. This can be accomplished by developing illegal systems or by failing to detect and prevent the flow of suspicious cash, which can be the result of willful neglect or simple ineptitude. The significance of these issues is highlighted when considering the role of attorneys in cases of bribery and money laundering.

Advice on How to Transfer Suspect Money

In 2016, Global Witness conducted an undercover investigation that revealed the role that lawyers can play in recommending how suspicious funds can be moved into the United States. An undercover agent posing as an advisor to a foreign government minister visited thirteen different law firms in New York City while wearing a covert camera.

He discussed with the attorneys how large sums of money could be transferred in secret without raising any suspicions of impropriety. In all but one of the cases, the lawyers assisted the minister by suggesting ways for the money to be brought into the United States without being discovered.

Corrupt Cash Management

Lawyers have also been known to handle shady or questionable funds on behalf of their clients, allowing them to avoid the anti-money laundering checks that banks are supposed to perform on their customers. According to the findings of a Senate investigation, Teodorin Obiang, the son of Equatorial Guinea’s president, worked with attorneys in the United States between 2004 and 2008 to launder tens of millions of dollars in questionable funds into the country.

Two attorneys helped Obiang avoid anti-money laundering controls in the United States by allowing him to use attorney-client, law office, and shell company accounts as conduits for his funds without informing the bank. Obiang was instrumental in making this happen.

Teodorin was earning a ministerial salary of $4,000 to $5,000 per month when Global Witness investigations revealed that he went on shopping sprees totaling millions of dollars. He spent $35 million on a Malibu mansion, speedboats, and a fleet of fast cars. A French court has just found Obiang guilty of corruption and ordered the confiscation of his assets, which are estimated to be worth more than £100 million.

Despite the enormous wealth generated by the country’s oil industry, more than 75 percent of Equatorial Guinea’s population lives in abject poverty.

Summary

The act of laundering money is considered a serious crime with harsh penalties. Here you can find information on the most recent prosecutions and cases involving money launderers from around the world.