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 […]

Companies Are Pouring Billions Into A.I. It Has Yet to Pay Off.

Reported by Steve Lohr (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/business/ai-business-payoff-lags.html) Nearly four decades ago, when the personal computer boom was in full swing, a phenomenon known as the “productivity paradox” emerged. It was a reference to how, despite companies’ huge investments in new technology, there was scant evidence of a corresponding […]

Vatican under fire for alleged money-laundering dodge

Reported by BEN MUNSTER (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.politico.eu/article/vatican-financial-obscure-transactions-claims-bank-transfers-money-laundering/) The Vatican is facing allegations it used a “skeleton key for money laundering” by illegally manipulating bank transfers. The city state’s former top financial cop ― who was forced out in 2017 ― has claimed that its payroll agency was able […]

US postal worker stole cards and checks from mail to fund lavish lifestyle, tropical vacations she flaunted online

Reported by Richard Pollina (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://nypost.com/2025/08/13/us-news/california-usps-worker-mary-ann-magdamit-stole-cards-and-checks-from-mail-to-fund-lavish-lifestyle-she-flaunted-online/) A California postal worker allegedly stole credit, debit cards and checks to fuel a lavish lifestyle that included luxurious tropical vacations and Rolex watches she flaunted on social media Mary Ann Magdamit, 31, a former letter carrier at the Torrance Main […]

Mexico sends new group of inmates with cartel ties to US

Reported by Bloomberg  (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/mexico-sends-new-group-of-inmates-with-cartel-ties-to-us-19652934.htm/amp) President Claudia Sheinbaum is under intense pressure to crack down on cross-border drug trafficking as her US counterpart Donald Trump has threatened punishing tariffs on Mexican exports if more progress isn’t made. The latest transfer of Mexican prisoners to US custody took […]

From Pateks to Birkins: Singapore Is Selling a Treasure Trove of Seized Luxury Goods

Reported by Rachel Cormack (Excerpt shared below. To read full report, go to: https://robbreport.com/lifestyle/news/singapore-selling-seized-luxury-goods-1236973684/) One criminal’s loss could be another collector’s gain. Luxury goods seized in Singapore’s biggest laundering case will be sold off by Deloitte, according to Channel News Asia. Singapore police handed over 466 high-end items and 58 gold bars to the consulting firm at […]