The Dark Money Files

In this episode we turn our attention to the thorny subject of proliferation financing and provide a basic explainer of what it's about and why it's important. The documents referred to in the episode can be accessed via the links below:  FATF Guidance on PF risk assessment | https://bit.ly/4a9FKTM  UK National Risk Assessment of PF | https://bit.ly/3JP2Lk7 | RUSI paper on PF in banking...

With a forthcoming new requirement which makes it mandatory for UK payment service providers (PSPs) to reimburse the victims of some types of fraud, we look at the rules and how they are likely to play out. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https:...

Taking a slightly different direction from our normal content, we step back and look how the landscape of crime has changed over the years, and how in the process it has become democratised. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmon...

Following the news that nearly 800 restaurants in the UK have been cloned over the last few weeks, we thought we’d bring you the story behind the story.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles.com/

It’s over to EU After a succession of episodes looking at the UK financial crime landscape, we shift our focus over the channel to Europe and the proposed changes to EU AML legislation. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfil...

Following some recent banking shenanigans, there’s been a rapidly introduced change in the UK law relating to PEPs. We think it needs to be put into a global context. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles.com/

In this second part of our review of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, we look at the provisions relating to  failing to prevent fraud, crypto assets, information sharing and Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.c...

Following the enactment of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act, reform is on the way to Companies House. But what does it look like and when will it happen? Here's our initial overview. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://...

In this episode we walk the path from certainty to impossibility, via probable, possible and plausible. A conversation involving wind turbines, zebras and UFOs. You need to listen to understand! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedar...

In this second episode devoted to ultimate beneficial ownership, we delve into the world of exchange traded companies and the esoterica that is trusts. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles.com/

In this episode we, somewhat belatedly, begin to tackle the thorny issue of identifying ultimate beneficial ownership.  And we do so by pointing out that the “ownership” part of UBO is a bit misleading because it doesn’t cover control or influence. But then a UBOCI is a bit of a mouthful. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-fil...

In this episode we walk through a recent, in-depth report into probable VAT and employment tax fraud reported on by Dan Neidle of the Tax Policy Associates , in partiucalr, how various different proessionals, individuals both here and abroad, and social media websites can be used, wittingly or unwittingly, to further the fraudsters aims. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at h...

We couldn't let the recent Farage brouhaha with Coutts go by without some sort of comment. We've tried to chart a calm course through some choppy waters! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles.com/

In this episode we ask "What have the dinosaurs ever done for us?"  It turns out, if you ask the right questions, it's quite a lot. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles.com/

In this episode we take a (hopefully) user-friendly trip down the statistical road and explore some of the common pitfalls that can be encountered in preparing management information. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles...

In this episode we look at the thorny issue of Management Information. What is it and what’s it for. Simple questions you might think, but often overlooked. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles.com/

In this episode we bring you an update about regulatory expectations in respect of cash deposits.  Along with a brief history of the UK’s Post Office dating back to the 17th century and the somewhat surprising news that it is still possible to make unlimited daily cash deposits of up to £20,000 with no form of identification. More information on KURE (brought to you by our sponsors Deep PoolmLtd)...

In the first episode of season 10, we turn our attention to an extraordinary story about online retail sales, China, VAT and HMRC. Despite all the apparent jargon, it is just an everyday tale of 11,000 companies all suddenly deciding to register to a private address where the owner had never heard of them. Which didn’t stop him being sent £500,000 in debt enforcement letters. And, in a first for T...

In the second part of our look at multiple choice tests we talk about how some fairly basic statistical analysis can help to validate their effectiveness.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles.com/

Does your assessment programme correlate to individual performance?  And if not, why not? Part one of a journey on the road to cognition. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles.com/

In this episode we  talk about using our (metaphorical) little yellow bird as a predictor of the overall effectiveness (or lack of it) of your anti-financial crime framework. Would your KYC fall off its perch at the first whiff of trouble? Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_fi...

In this episode we work through three of the smaller regulatory actions from last year which nevertheless contain nuggets of gold, successfully panned by Ray. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles.com/

In something of a departure from our normal content, we review the passage of the Economic Crime and Corporate Reform Bill through the UK parliamentary system and use the opportunity to explain in more detail just how the scrutiny and passing of legislation works in practice. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Tw...

In this episode we weave together crypto, courts and controversy when Sam Bankman Fried meets the Court of Justice of the European Union and a millionaire underwear Baroness.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles.com/

It’s been a little while so we thought we’d do a bit of a catch up on some recent publications from Wolfsberg, the FATF and the Finnish FSA. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dark-money-files-ltd/ on Twitter at  https://twitter.com/dark_files or see our website at  https://www.thedarkmoneyfiles.com/