Preventing trade-based money laundering in Australia

This guide provides indicators and behaviours to help financial service providers, particularly those engaged in trade financing, to detect and report suspicious financial activity.

International trade is an attractive avenue for criminals as it presents risks and vulnerabilities that they can exploit. Criminals engaged in trade-based money laundering use the trade of goods and services to move illicit money into and out of Australia and around the world.

Trade-based money laundering schemes vary in complexity and can be challenging to detect as they can involve multiple parties and jurisdictions and misrepresent the prices, quantity or quality of imported or exported goods.

Your business can play a crucial role in detecting trade-based money laundering by recognising and reporting suspicious activity to AUSTRAC.

AUSTRAC introductory note