“Money laundering" is a process that is a set of procedures and methods that allow you to transfer funds received as a result of illegal activities to any other assets. This is necessary so that their true origin remains unknown, the real owners do not know the whole truth, and the authorities did not have unnecessary questions. "Laundering" is the legalization of income. This refers to those obtained illegally.
We are talking about funds received in the form of a bribe, as a ransom, funds that a person has got as a result of a robbery, theft, extortion, terrorist activity, and so on. Money laundering can be observed after almost any crime related to the illegal receipt of income. Its possibility is a threat not only to society, but also to the economy.
Money laundering in Russia, in principle, as in any other country, is carried out in three stages. The very first of these is associated with the placement of illegally obtained funds in financial institutions, at the second stage financial transactions are carried out that help to hide the fact that money was obtained through criminal means. At the very end of the process, capital is again returned to the criminal, however, now it is already “pure”. He can return not only in the form of money, but also in the form of some kind of property rights - there are a lot of options.
Money laundering can be carried out according to various schemes. They include the use of banking institutions, carrying out cash transactions, gambling, buying and subsequent sale of jewelry, cars, cultural property, stocks, real estate and so on. Recently, money laundering has even been done through the Internet. Often there are frauds with currency.
With all this, experienced swindlers try to confuse all traces, and carry out the “washing” process as quietly as possible, without attracting any attention to themselves. Tracking their steps is extremely difficult.
Money laundering can be carried out through falsification of documentation, conclusion of “fake” agreements, and entering of incorrect information into reporting documents. Today, even fake credit is used.
It is generally accepted that tax crimes, non-return of foreign currency from abroad, as well as non-payment of customs duties are not considered sources of “dirty money”, but the funds received as a result of everything described above can also be considered “laundered”.
Money laundering is possible through left-wing companies. What kind of companies are these? They are registered with dummies. Often, according to documents, their owners are those who are no longer alive at all. It is also worth mentioning one-day firms. They are registered only so that certain individuals can carry out the necessary actions with their help. When registering in this case, mass legal addresses are used, and the founders in most cases are also false. After the liquidation of such enterprises, there are no traces or clues.
Criminal organizations for money laundering can also register completely legal firms. The direction of their activity does not matter. The main thing is that they function stably and create the illusion that its owner has an income that is legal. In case of problems with representatives of the authorities or the tax authority, he will indicate that he has acquired this or that property with funds received from the company established by him. It is very reliable.
Surprisingly, money laundering can be done without fuss. The thing is that sometimes it’s enough just to wait a certain time period for this.