The current viral crisis is unprecedented, socially as well as economically. Needless to say, this situation also has severe implications for the internal financial security of every country. Criminals have quickly seized the opportunities to exploit the crisis by adapting their modes of operation and/or developing new criminal activities.
Organized crime groups are notoriously flexible and adaptable and their capacity to exploit this crisis means we need to be constantly vigilant and prepared for new and emerging illicit finance risks. International information shows that increasingly people and businesses are vulnerable to scams and fraud, mail hijacking, cloned websites and money laundering schemes.
On the other hand, at a time when critical relief is needed for our country, effective compliance and a continued focus of our financial and non-financial institutions, supervisors, FIU and law enforcement agencies on the integrity and security of our financial system, will give potential donors greater confidence that their support is reaching their intended beneficiaries.
FIU Curaçao stresses the need for reporting organizations to remain vigilant, keep giving sufficient attention to compliance and to reporting unusual transactions, also in these difficult times.
As a further demonstration of the need to remain vigilant, FIU Curaçao would like to draw attention to a report as published by EUROPOL : – Pandemic profiteering -how criminals exploit the COVID-19 crisis (March 2020) –. It provides an overview of how criminals possibly adapt their misdeeds to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report is mainly based on information Europol received from EU Member States, however it has value globally. The report can be found using the following link : https://www.europol.europa.eu/publications-documents/pandemic-profiteering-how-criminals-exploit-covid-19-crisis

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