Illegal arms sales, smuggling, and organised crime such as drug trafficking, people trafficking and prostitution rings, can generate huge amounts of money, as can ‘white collar crimes’ including, insider trading, bribery and computer fraud schemes.
Under anti-money laundering law, all regulated businesses in the UK - which includes financial institutions and those working in other at-risk sectors including legal, property and investment – and all financial institutions in the US, must complete due diligence on all new customers before they embark on a business relationship.
This is a hugely important part of the customer onboarding process; firstly, it is a legal requirement and businesses that do not complete the proper checks can get fined, suspended or even face legal action, and secondly, money laundering is not only a crime in itself, but an enabler for more serious crime, including terrorism, drug and people trafficking and modern slavery.
