ACAMS

In just a few hours, a single scam can exploit social media accounts, encrypted messaging apps, telecommunications infrastructure, bank accounts, and crypto wallets. Money, disappeared. Our failure to share information serves fraudsters and harms victims. Many AFC leaders conclude that sharing fraud intelligence outside of their institution or industry exposes them to too much risk. So we partnered with Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) to identify low-risk areas of opportunity, and we're sharing them with you here. This is not legal or financial advice. It is a starting point to help you identify areas of opportunity within your organization. Let's move the dial together. Read the full paper, ungated to all, here: https://lnkd.in/ezvBE5-c

As the World Cup proceeds through the quarter-finals, the AFC threats persist. At The Assembly Hollywood, we asked some of our members about the threats that will remain top of mind for them as we see the series through. Here are Dustin J. Eaton CFE CAMS CFCI CFCS CAFP CGSS CAMS-RM CAFS, Sissy M. Oliver-Adams, CAMS, CGSS, CPAML, AMLCA, and Oscar Andres Enriquez sharing the threats they will remain on the look out for. Check out our full AFC World Cup guide here, open to everyone: https://lnkd.in/eNbTCqe3 #RedFlagsRedCards

Yesterday, Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr opposed the proposed amendments to the AML program rule because they would introduce a new, undefined “significant or systemic” standard for enforcement actions. In their comments on the proposed rule, several financial sector associations shared the same concern. In my latest article for ACAMS Today, I analyzed the comments from financial sector associations of varying sizes and perspectives on the AML program rule. While commenters were generally supportive, several recurring themes emerged, including the need to: ➡️ Move key concepts from the preamble into the rule text ➡️ Clarify the “effective” definition, specifically the “in all material respects” and “significant or systemic failure” language ➡️ Align supervisory practice with the final rule ➡️ Allow more time for implementation You can read all the details in the article (link in the comments). After reviewing many, although not all, of the 116 submitted comments, I think this is a time for cautious optimism. While it seems clear that some adjustments to the proposed rule should be made, there were no deal breakers or insurmountable obstacles raised. This leaves me hopeful that the U.S. AML regime is now on the path to becoming substantially more effective than it is today. Let me know what you think!

I'm approaching 10 years working for membership organizations, and here's the question that you need to be able to answer: What's the value of a professional community? For years, at associations, the value has been knowledge. Gated access to information. Training. Research. Expertise. This is critical for professionals to do their jobs well. But now, it's not enough. As knowledge becomes increasingly accessible — and increasingly AI-generated — the value of community, and of trust, increases. Over the past few months, I've watched the anti-financial crime community come together around the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States. While most of us were watching the matches, professionals across financial institutions, regulators, law enforcement, and industry organizations were working to stay ahead of human trafficking, fraud, and other financial crimes. At ACAMS, that included 10 chapter events (including one at the Marlins Stadium!), 3 webinars, 1 event session, 16 articles, regulatory updates, and media interviews with CNN, Bloomberg, The Athletic, and more – all designed to help AFC professionals prepare and respond. The information alone wasn't the value. It was the willingness of people to share experiences, challenge assumptions, and help one another solve real problems. As professional communities navigate the AI era, the edge is bringing people together, contextualizing knowledge, and providing the place to go that people trust they can get an answer. Congratulations to David Jacobs, CAMS, Craig Timm, Justine Walker, Riley Green Haley Dorgan, Kieran Beer, Karla Monterrosa-Yancey, MBA, CAMS, Sandy Espinosa, and the many amazing ACAMS Chapter Members who helped bring this effort to life. See all the resources that came together here: https://lnkd.in/e9XF-u_8

Last week, Craig Timm, Riley Green and I had the privilege of meeting with leaders from Ukraine and Moldova who are quite literally on the front lines of the fight against financial crime. In conversations with Vitalii Berehivskyi, Deputy Director of the AML Policy Department at the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, and Valentin Draganel, Deputy Director at Moldova’s Financial Intelligence Unit, I was struck by the urgency and resolve behind their work. During our meeting, Kyiv was under attack — facing another wave of deadly strikes by Russia. Vitalii Berehivskyi described the situation in a way I won’t forget: as missiles come in from “above”, they are simultaneously confronting state-sponsored financial crime and terrorist financing from “below”. A few details stuck with me: · Building infrastructure in the face of crisis. Ukraine is actively developing an information-sharing infrastructure that connects public authorities, law enforcement, and the private sector to better detect and disrupt illicit finance. This is complex under any circumstances; it is remarkable under these conditions. · Public-private partnership as a lifeline. The leaders from Ukraine and Moldova emphasized that stronger collaboration with financial institutions is essential. Timely, trusted information-sharing is critical to staying ahead of evolving threats. · Financial crime as a vector of conflict. In Moldova, efforts to combat financial crime are closely tied to safeguarding democratic institutions, particularly amid ongoing external interference. This battlefield extends far beyond what we see. · A community on the front line. For AFC professionals in the region, this work is urgent, as it is directly connected to existential threats to national security and sovereignty. Moments like this reinforce a simple truth: even in the most difficult circumstances, a commitment to stronger systems, deeper collaboration, and tougher defenses against illicit finance must prevail. For Ukraine and Moldova, the stakes could not be higher. Deep respect to Vitalii Berehivskyi, Valentin Draganel, and all those advancing this mission critical work under extraordinary conditions.

An honour to have represented ACAMS on the information-sharing panel. These were indeed critical discussions. AI is revolutionising the fraud economy, enabling scams and other illicit activities that are more sophisticated, scalable and elusive than ever before. We must find ways to respond both confidently and rapidly to stay ahead of these evolving threats. This will require bold innovation, intelligence sharing and proactive action from all stakeholders. Kudos to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the new FATF president Giles Thomson for launching their fraud roadmap.

BREAKING NEWS: Alibaba and its U.S. payment processor will pay $600 million to resolve U.S. accusations that they did not prevent illegal sales of pharmaceuticals, pill presses and other illicit goods. Read more in front of the paywall, on ACAMS moneylaundering.com, here: https://lnkd.in/e6-Xviwt #AML #compliance #ecommerce #china #doj #regulation #moneylaundering #crime #financialcrime #alibaba

The ACAMS June Sanctions Watch is live! Dawson Law joins me and George Voloshin, CAMS CGSS to discuss some of the latest developments in the world of sanctions, including: ·      The state of play in US-Iran relations, the MOU, and potential scenarios we may see play out ·      EU and UK sanctions on Russia ·      A spotlight on the A7 sanctions evasion network (and the role of AI-enabled fake invoicing) ·      OFAC, OFSI, and HMRC enforcement actions ·      Wider updates including Venezuelan General Licenses, Cuba designations, Anthropic, and more The link is in the comments!

BREAKING NEWS: FinCEN warned banks Tuesday to screen transactions for links to Mexican cartel-led fuel smuggling. Read in front of the paywall, on ACAMS moneylaundering.com, here: https://lnkd.in/eGTXRkRi #regulation #compliance #mexico #texas #moneylaundering #tax #crime #banking #aml

BREAKING NEWS: A federal lawsuit filed by "Jane Doe" in Manhattan accuses FirstBank Puerto Rico of "participating in and financially benefiting from" Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking. Read more in front of the paywall, on ACAMS moneylaundering.com, here: https://lnkd.in/eP7z_ubE #regulation #compliance #AML #moneylaundering #epstein #banking #banks #crime