ING bank probed for role in Didier Reynders money laundering case

Reported by Cynthia Kroet (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/08/20/ing-bank-probed-for-role-in-didier-reynders-money-laundering-case) ING Belgium has come under investigation for its role in the money laundering case that involves former European Commissioner Didier Reynders, Belgian newspaper Le Soir reports. The bank is being probed by the Brussels prosecutor’s office for potential acts of “influence peddling”.  […]

Why Tariffs are Fueling Financial Crime

Reported by Michael Joseph (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.sdcexec.com/software-technology/ai-ar/article/22945695/napier-ai-why-tariffs-are-fueling-financial-crime) Volatile tariff policies are creating new criminal opportunities across global supply chains. The same invoice manipulation and transshipment schemes criminals use to launder money now also help them evade customs duties. Procurement and compliance teams often lack the coordination necessary to […]

The Wiretap: The DEA Laundered $19 Million Of Cartel Drug Money Into Cash And Crypto

Reported by Thomas Brewster (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2025/08/19/the-wiretap-the-dea-laundered-19-million-of-cartel-drug-money-into-cash-and-crypto/) For over a decade, the DEA ran a money laundering operation for a Columbian narcotics trafficking cartel. In total, the agency and its sources took in $19 million in drug money, funnelling cash into bank and cryptocurrency accounts controlled by sources, agents and the cartel. […]

Unleashing the Potential of Blockchain in Digital Identity Verification and Management

Reported by Chirag Bhardwaj (Summary shared below. For full report, go to: https://appinventiv.com/blog/blockchain-for-digital-identity-verification/) Digital identity is the backbone of how individuals interact online, from logging into social media accounts to verifying identities for banking and tax services. Yet, the current centralized systems that manage digital identity are increasingly vulnerable to theft, fraud, and misuse. In […]

Scammers turn to ‘ghost-tapping’ retail fraud to launder funds

Reported by James Reddick (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://therecord.media/scammers-ghost-tapping-retail-fraud-launder-cash) Chinese organized criminal groups in Southeast Asia are increasingly using stolen payment card information and retail fraud to launder their illicit proceeds.    The technique demonstrates the sophisticated level of coordination among criminal actors as they attempt to move money derived from […]

Blackwater’s Erik Prince Muscles Back Into the Mercenary Business

Reported by Benoit Faucon and Vera Bergengruen (Summary shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/erik-prince-mercenaries-vectus-global-5a166dca?mod=mhp) Erik Prince, the controversial founder of Blackwater, is reasserting himself in the private military industry with his new company, Vectus Global, pitching security solutions to governments and businesses in Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean. Prince, once disgraced […]

The catfishing scam putting fans and female golfers in danger

Reported by Carson Kessler and Gabby Herzig (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6554056/2025/08/15/womens-golf-catfishing-social-media-stalking-cases/) Indiana native. 62 years old. Big golfer. A huge fan of the LPGA. On Aug. 4, Rodney opened an Instagram account with the handle @lpgafanatic6512, and he quickly followed some verified accounts for female golfers and a few other accounts […]

The Tornado Cash trial’s mixed verdict: Implications for developer liability

Reported Mayer Brown (Summary featured below. To read full report, go to: https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/insights/publications/2025/08/the-tornado-cash-trials-mixed-verdict-implications-for-developer-liability) The Tornado Cash trial concluded on August 6, 2025, with a mixed verdict against co-founder Roman Storm. After four weeks of proceedings in the Southern District of New York, the jury convicted him on one charge—conspiring to operate an unlicensed money transmitting […]

U.S. Bribery Indictment Points to Mexican State Corruption and Vast Cartel-Linked Oil, Drug Trafficking Operations

Reported by SAM COOPER (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.thebureau.news/p/us-bribery-indictment-points-to-mexican) A new U.S. indictment accuses two Mexican nationals doing business in Texas of bribing officials at Mexico’s state energy company Pemex — a scheme that appears to be just one piece of a vast conspiracy outlined in U.S. sanctions filings in […]