Hello, and welcome to episode 188 of the Financial Crime Weekly Podcast, I am Chris Kirkbride. In this episode, beginning with sanctions, where the UK government has published a comprehensive starter guide for businesses and imposed asset freezes on two entities, Embers of an Empire and Rampage Productions, for alleged links to terrorism through music. The US has also taken action, sanctioning Indian nationals and an online pharmacy for trafficking counterfeit fentanyl pills. In money laundering news, a joint effort by Eurojust and Europol dismantled a sophisticated network laundering at least €30 million through gold bar transactions across France and Italy, seizing nearly 100 kilos of gold and luxury assets. We cover significant fraud operations, including INTERPOL’s Operation HAECHI VI, which recovered $439 million globally from various cyber-enabled financial crimes, and the situation surrounding global insurer Allianz, which is grappling with a surge in fraud detection in the UK while simultaneously facing a $16.8 million fine in Australia for misleading claims. Rounding out the episode, we look at the EU demanding that major tech platforms like Google and Apple disclose their anti-scam measures under the Digital Services Act and discuss the recent UK arrest connected to the cyber-attack on Collins Aerospace that disrupted European flights.

A transcript of this podcast, with links to the stories, will be available at www.crimes.financial.