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New schemes for laundering criminal proceeds have emerged in Belarus. They involve selling nonexistent goods on online marketplaces and organizing fake charity fundraisers. Andrei Matolka, head of the Investigative Committee’s Main Directorate for Digital Development, spoke about them on Belarusian television.
“Criminals are increasingly turning to schemes involving the virtual gambling industry and related platforms, where stolen funds and criminal proceeds are transferred under the guise of bets placed at online casinos and betting companies, or through the purchase of certain in-game convertible virtual currencies,” he said.
Fictitious IT services have also begun to be used to launder criminal proceeds.
“Another new method of transferring and laundering criminal proceeds involves so-called fictitious digital freelancing or fictitious commercial activity. This is when payments are made under the pretext of providing information technology services, IT-related services, or advertising services, supposedly necessitating payment for those services. Another example is when a product is supposedly purchased through a marketplace or online service, even though the product does not actually exist,” he continued.
According to him, crowdfunding mechanisms are also being used.
“Another new method of transferring stolen funds is so-called fake crowdfunding, or raising money ostensibly for charitable purposes through streaming platforms. Such funds are collected and then returned to the sponsor, minus the platform’s fee,” Matolka concluded.