Latest news with #financialcrimes
CTV News
20 hours ago
- CTV News
Fraudulent withdrawals of over $150,000 at Burlington bank leads to arrest
A Halton Regional Police logo is shown on a vehicle in Oakville, Ont., Wednesday, Jan.18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Richard Buchan Halton police have laid multiple charges against a man they say defrauded a Burlington bank out of more than $150,000 last year. In March 2024, the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) was contacted after a series of fraudulent withdrawals from an account at a Burlington HSBC branch. The withdrawals totalled $156,000. Police arrested the person making the withdrawals at the time. Further investigation by the HRPS Financial Crimes Unit identified an additional suspect who organized the crime. 'To gain access to the bank account, the accused used a fake Ontario Drivers License and made large withdraws via cash and wire transfer,' police said in a release on Friday. Police executed a search warrant at a Vaughan home on June 26 and arrested the accused. A 'large quantity' of psilocybin and an illegal .22 calibre rifle were also found during the search. gun, drugs A large quantity of psilocybin and an illegal .22 calibre rifle were found during a search of a Vaughan home. Andrew Meeks, 41, of Vaughan, faces several charges, including fraud, drug possession, and unauthorized possession of a firearm.
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Fraud victims among top crypto ATM users, Australian regulator says
Australia's financial crimes monitoring agency said on Wednesday that it has identified 90 scam victims, money mules and suspected offenders as the top crypto ATM users in the country, amid efforts to address crimes enabled by digital currency. A nationwide operation led by the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) examined the most prolific crypto ATM users in each state, and based on the transaction values, identified cases likely linked to scams or fraud. "We suspected that a large volume of crypto ATM transactions were probably illicit, but disturbingly, our law enforcement partners found that almost all of the transactions we referred involved victims rather than criminals," AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas said. In one instance, AUSTRAC identified a woman in her 70s who had deposited more than A$430,000 into crypto ATMs after falling victim to romance and investment scams. Earlier this month, AUSTRAC had placed conditions and limits on crypto ATM providers after flagging compliance concerns, with the number of active machines exceeding 1,800.
CTV News
19-06-2025
- CTV News
$13,000 cheque fraud scheme leads to four suspects charged
Windsor police say four people have been charged after a cheque fraud scheme defrauded a local flooring business out of over $13,000. Between Feb. 18 and March 24, the four individuals allegedly completed 17 fraudulent transactions using forged cheques belonging to the business owner. Investigators believe the cheques had been discarded and later retrieved by the suspects. The total loss resulting from the scheme is estimated at $13,120. The Windsor Police Financial Crimes Unit investigated and identified the suspects through surveillance footage captured at several financial institutions across the city. On June 18, 2025, officers arrested a 48-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman at a residence in the 3600 block of Sandwich Street. They are each charged with: Fraud over $5,000 Obtaining funds by false pretence over $5,000 Uttering forged documents Possession of property obtained by crime Failure to comply with a probation order (x2) Two additional male suspects, ages 44 and 56, are charged with: Fraud under $5,000 Obtaining funds by false pretence under $5,000 Uttering a forged document Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 Anyone with information is asked to contact the Windsor Police Financial Crimes Unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 4330. You can also provide information anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or online at
Zawya
17-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Kenya fails to shake off EU money laundering grey list as Uganda is delisted
Kenya has been added to the list of high-risk jurisdictions for money laundering by the European Union, as Uganda got reprieve by being struck off the list. The EU released the updated list on Tuesday, as the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), Kenya's Financial Intelligence Unit, raised the red flag on a number of suspicious transactions linked to money laundering. The FRC's latest annual report (2024) shows that the lenders and credit institutions in Kenya reported 94 transactions related to terrorism financing last year (2024), a 30.55 percent growth from 72 transactions reported a year earlier, while suspicious transactions related to money laundering increased by 18.73 percent to 7,193 from 6,058. The report further says that those lenders' total suspicious transaction reports increased by 18.85 percent to 7,287 from 6,131 during the period. According to the report, the number of suspicious transactions reported by capital markets and securities operators more than tripled to 93 from 26, with the suspicious transactions being solely related to money laundering. It's not clear if the EU based its decision on this report to put Nairobi on the list of high-risk countries which exhibit significant gaps in their anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism frameworks. Grey-listing means that Kenya will now face increased scrutiny from EU financial institutions.'The Commission has carefully considered the concerns expressed regarding its previous proposal and conducted a thorough technical assessment, based on specific criteria and a well defined methodology, incorporating information collected through the FATF (Financial Action Task Force), bilateral dialogues and on site visits to the jurisdictions in question,' the EU said in its statement.'As a founding member of FATF, the Commission is closely involved in monitoring the progress of the listed jurisdictions, helping them to fully implement their respective action plans agreed with FAFT.'Other grey-listed countries are Algeria, Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, Laos, Lebanon, Monaco, Namibia, Nepal and Venezuela. Uganda, which was earlier on the list, has since been delisted, alongside Barbados, Gibraltar, Jamaica, Panama, Philippines, Senegal, and the United Arab Emirates. This means they had demonstrated improvement in their financial crime defences. Kenya was grey-listed in 2024 for failure to prosecute money laundering and terrorism financing cases. It was also cited for lack of regulations for cryptocurrencies, non-profits, and absence of a robust risk-based approach towards anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing. The United States in 2023 warned Kenya against money laundering. In July 2023, Brian Nelson, US Department of Treasury's Undersecretary for Counterterrorism and Financial Intelligence, met and held talks with President William Ruto in which money laundering featured. Nelson raised concerns about Kenya's relations with countries blacklisted by the US, including Iran and Belarus.'If Kenya considers itself a US ally, Americans have certain expectations from Kenya. The reality is that the US would expect Kenya to support it by aligning to its policies,' Nelson said. In July 2023, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in 2024, toured Kenya in a controversial state visit. Earlier, Kenya's then Trade minister Moses Kuria visited Belarus on a trade mission. Kenya's actions did not go down well with the Joe Biden administration, who dispatched Trade Representative Catherine Tai and Nelson to Nairobi in a span of two weeks. The US was concerned that it would encourage money laundering whose proceeds are used to fund terrorism in neighbouring Somalia. After Nelson's visit in 2023, President Ruto formed the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing Multi-Agency Team (AML/CFT MAT). This task force brings together institutions such as the Financial ReportingCentre, Central Bank of Kenya, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to coordinate investigations into illicit financial flows, particularly in public procurement and the financial sector. Parliament amended the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act to impose stiffer penalties for non-compliance, improve asset tracing mechanisms, and expand the range of businesses legally obligated to flag suspicious activity. And last week, the Director Investigations Bureau at DCI Abdalla Komesha, speaking at the Financial Investigations and Asset Recovery workshop at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi, reaffirmed the directorate's commitment to investigating money laundering, terrorism financing, and major predicate offences, including organised crime.'Proceeds of crime are no longer hidden under mattresses; they are laundered through complex corporate structures, layered across global bank accounts, and concealed within real estate or cryptocurrency. As the landscape of criminality transforms, so too must our response,' he said. Despite the DCI's efforts, Kenya remains on the grey list, meaning they are yet to bear fruit. Experts blame corruption, partly blamed for the delay in prosecution of cases. The country is also witnessing politicians dishing out huge amounts money in public functions, whose source cannot be determined, given that President Ruto banned harambees as a measure to stem corruption. A legislator, Njeri Maina, questioned how leaders gave out such huge amounts in donations while public sector services such as education were wallowing in a financial crisis.'So we can donate Ksh145 million ($1.12m) but we lack free education, investing in local manufacturing to create job employment opportunities for our young people is where we draw the line,' said Maina, who is the Kirinyaga Woman Representative. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Malay Mail
13-06-2025
- Malay Mail
Singapore woman accused of killing husband ‘hid knife', faces new justice obstruction charge
SINGAPORE, June 13 — A woman accused of fatally injuring her husband during a scuffle in late 2023 has been slapped with a fresh charge of obstructing justice today, in addition to a string of other offences. According to The Straits Times, 52-year-old Baniyah Shap was accused of intentionally obstructing the course of justice by allegedly washing and hiding a silver foldable knife after a fight that led to the death of 62-year-old Mohamed Ali Saaban. The fatal incident occurred at about 11.52pm on December 11, 2023, at the void deck of Block 631 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4. Both individuals are Singaporeans. Baniyah is alleged to have caused Mohamed Ali's death through a negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide, having reportedly inflicted a puncture wound on him with the knife during the scuffle. She was earlier charged with possessing the weapon — a silver foldable knife with a blade around 6.5cm long — without lawful purpose. Following the altercation, Baniyah is said to have cleaned the knife and hidden it in a residential unit in the same block. She was remanded for psychiatric observation after displaying erratic behaviour in the wake of her arrest. Aside from the charges linked to her husband's death, Baniyah also faces multiple counts related to financial crimes. These include allegedly providing others with her internet banking credentials to carry out unauthorised transactions and deceiving banks into opening accounts under her name. Out of her 15 current charges, the majority pertain to these financial offences. According to court records, Baniyah has indicated her intention to plead guilty, though it is unclear which charges she plans to admit to. The prosecution is expected to submit court documents by the end of June, with a mitigation plea to follow. A court hearing list shows she is represented by the Public Defender's Office. She remains in remand and is scheduled to plead guilty on July 4. If found guilty of obstructing justice, she faces up to seven years' jail, a fine, or both. A negligent act causing death carries a maximum penalty of two years' jail or a fine, or both. For possessing an offensive weapon without lawful purpose, the penalty is up to three years in jail. As a woman, Baniyah cannot be caned.
