An invisible network connects us all to crime: the people who move dirty money into the law-abiding economy. In doing so, they fuel crime, poverty, terror attacks and misery the world over.
BAE Systems has identified six groups of people who make money laundering happen. Know them, and it’s easier to understand the scale of the problem, how it can affect all kinds of organisation, and see how tackling it is not just possible, but imperative.
Uncover The Invisible Network with our guide to the six common personas involved in money laundering.
The Shark

A cold-blooded predator, they swim among law-abiding workmates, subverting their employer’s controls to line their own pockets. They’re one of the most serious dangers for businesses as a result.
The leader

Leaders use the services of Sharks and Bystanders to introduce their funds to the licit banking system. More often than not, they’ll be keen customers of the Bystanders, buying luxury goods, properties and vehicles for themselves, their family and key allies.
The Bystander

Blinkered by greed, the bystander will convince themselves that they’re not witnessing flagrantly illegal or merely suspicious behaviour because it will line their own pockets.
The Watched

They’re senior civil servants or public figures. They might be civil servants – but equally, they could be close friends or relatives of senior public servants or those who hold political power.
The Source

At the same time, their greed is the reason societies and people suffer from criminal acts. If they can extract profit from their illegal activities, they’ll carry on committing them.
The Shop Front

Sharks and other criminals will often start businesses to look legitimate but which are built from the ground up to launder money and put a legitimate face on their criminal clients. These operations run from business registration companies to law firms, financial advisers, real estate consultants and in one case, an entire transnational bank.
It's not just financial institutions that need to watch out for money laundering activity, and it's not just banks that suffer at their hands - it's almost any business, and society as a whole.