Campaign in NW England and Wales educates public on money laundering, urging anonymous reporting of suspicious activity.
Organized crime generates illegal money through activities like drugs, human trafficking, and weapons sales. Criminals often use businesses to conceal this money, including barbershops, nail bars, pubs, and food takeaways.
They might also utilize taxi firms, car washes, and “money mules,” who move money through bank accounts or travel abroad with cash. Criminals ultimately use this “washed” money to fund lavish lifestyles.
The campaign aims to gather community information to disrupt criminal activity. Gary Murray from Crimestoppers emphasized that criminals thrive on silence, enabling them to harm communities and profit from crime.
Crimestoppers has outlined key signs of money laundering, such as cash-only businesses with few customers and unusual operating hours. Groups gathering with no apparent business and frequent use of large bills can also be indicators.
Other signs include businesses changing names frequently and unexplained wealth. Suspicious activities include traveling without clear reasons, loan sharking, frequent purchases of luxury goods, and using other people’s bank accounts. You can report crime anonymously by visiting Crimestoppers’ website or calling them at 0800 555 111.