FinancialCrimeRiskOfficers.com

There are some aspects of policing that are made more difficult than they should be by a range of factors. One of those factors is attitudes, on both sides, when a crime is committed by members of a "community" against others in that "community."

Intra-community crime is always difficult to investigate because the investigation is, almost always, conducted by someone from outside that "community." The reasons for this are many and varied. Without entering into the choppy waters of arguing that there should be no "communities," only "society," Nigel Morris-Cotterill examines why FCROs are in a difficult position when "communities" and offences within them are considered.

A very convincing e-mail is being distributed. It falsely claims to be from South Africa's ABSA Bank and, so far as this newspaper can tell, is distributed to a spam-list that was first produced by or for the use of a training company since when it has gone into the wild, so to speak. It does not discriminate geographically. It contains an attachment (Credit Card Statement.htm). The full e-mail is below.

At the Financial Crime Forum's 2006 forum in Hong Kong, one session dealt with the trade in endangered species. With the very recent and belated acknowledgement by international bodies that such conduct is, in fact, a financial crime, there is a welcome focus on the profits from such trade rather than solely on the animals and their products. In the USA last week, a bizarre offence came to court but this time, the defendant says, it was nothing to do with profit.

Londoners, pay attention: slag isn't what you think it is. For those from mining communities, slag is what's left over after coal, etc. has been washed. It's poured into conical mountains and left lying around, in theory to dry but occasionally the slurry undermines it and it slides down whatever gradient it is sitting on, sometimes with terrible results, as in the Welsh mining village of Aberfan in 1966. What might be in those "ancient slag" heaps in addition to wet dust? A 77 year old Californian claimed to know and to have a method of extracting the good stuff.

The obligation to train staff for e.g. counter-money laundering purposes is hardly a surprise. But, as Nigel Morris-Cotterill says, the training of temporary and agency staff is often overlooked. As this health and safety case shows, that is not acceptable.

The USA's Inland Revenue Service, the IRS, has reported "a steep drop" in identity fraud related cases in recent years but it is still a serious problem.

A senior prison officer with a special remit to investigate malfeasance by inmates and fellow officers at a California jail has been charged with accepting bribes and smuggling contraband into the prison.

More and more the The West Yorkshire Trading Standards Illegal Tobacco team is finding evidence of serious organised criminality where the “front door” is illicit tobacco sales but behind that is the more sinister business of people trafficking and modern slavery.

Amar Choudry, 38, of Linton Drive, Heaton, Bradford; Yasir Choudry, 30, and Qaisar Choudry, 28, of Duchy Crescent, Heaton; Faisal Choudry, 37, of Duchy Drive, Heaton; and Mudasar Alishan, 40, of Oakdale Drive, Shipley were this week convicted of involvement in the production and sale of clothing bearing counterfeit brands and other copyright breaches generating about half-a-million pounds. They were part of a group that has received suspended sentences for a highly organised system of criminal behaviour, on an industrial scale.

Part 2 of the review of Australia'sTreasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing Whistleblower Protections) ACt 2019

The Australian Federal Government last night passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing Whistleblower Protections) Act 2019. It applies to those making authorised disclosures in a "regulated entity" and a far wider range of releasing information than is common This is part one of a series.

Aw, bless, as they say in London's East. This scam is just so funny it's sad. It's supposedly from a central bank. Guess who's?

Yet another case of false and fraudulent billing under the USA's Medicare system demonstrates how easy it is for medical practitioners to defraud both national and insurance-backed medical funding providers in the USA and elsewhere. Benjamin Rosenberg, D.D.S., 58, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to a sample count of health care fraud before U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt of the Central District of California. Sentencing will take place on May 23 before Judge Kronstadt. There weren't many big insurance companies he didn't defraud.

Spammers have long been involved in directory fraud of one sort or another. Just as in the days of paper, letters are carefully phrased to make victims think they must make a payment. Then, hidden away at the bottom of the page is a note saying "this is not an invoice" and something along the lines of "you only have to pay if you want the service." These days, the spam-scammers also include something to tell you that they are complying with the USA's spam facilitation Act, mysteriously known as the Can Spam Act. And this one doesn't even tell victims what service they are supposedly subscribed to.

We, the people, are discriminatory. You , me, he, she are all guilty of one of the most fundamental forms of discrimination. Yet, if we reject that attitude, we become better at so many things. Importantly, it all comes down to two fundamental prejudices. And, if you are a LinkedIn user, it's almost certain that you exercise it with every visit. Read on for why your New Year's resolution should be to reject this particularly unwise way of life.

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