Money Laundering

Money laundering is the process of creating the appearance that large amounts of money obtained from serious crimes, such as drug trafficking or terrorist activity, originated from a legitimate source.

In the past, the term "money laundering" was applied only to financial transactions related to organized crime. Today its definition is often expanded to mean any financial transaction which generates an asset or a value as the result of an illegal act. In the UK, it does not even need to involve money, but any economic good.

Estimates of money laundering vary considerably, and are considered guestimates at best. The International Monetary Fund believes that laundered money amounts to between 2 and 5 percent of the worldwide global economy. Whatever the actual figure, few doubt that it is many billions of dollars.

Criminal organizations go to great lengths to launder illegally obtained funds, and to hide their trails. This inevitably makes investigations of suspected money laundering very complex, often involving tens of thousands of financial transactions, often using offshore bank accounts and shell companies.

Investigator is designed to manage complex investigations, and to help investigators join together scraps of seemingly unconnected pieces of information. It will provide a visual representation of links between entities - people, places, transactions, phone calls, etc. - to make it easier for investigators to identify connections and clues.

Investigator allows the sharing of information amongst all members of an investigation team who have clearance to view that information. It enables new investigators brought on to a case to more quickly understand the case and the investigative work already carried out.

Money laundering is sophisticated, complex, and often undertaken by major organized crime networks. Investigator will help solve cases, and break those networks.