Our summary
Published by the FATF on 24 February 2026, this paper explains why cyber-enabled fraud — online scams, investment fraud, impersonation and similar schemes — is now one of the largest sources of criminal money worldwide, and a major money laundering risk for most countries.
It shows how the money moves (mule accounts, fast payments, virtual assets and shell companies) and which tools help to stop it: payment transparency, beneficial ownership information, asset recovery, regulation of virtual assets, cross-border cooperation, and data analytics such as machine learning to spot suspicious transactions.
How auditors use it: Use it to check whether fraud and AML teams work together, whether transaction monitoring covers scam and mule patterns, and whether the organisation can freeze and recover funds quickly.