AFC CHALLENGES
Figure 1 : Dealer signals 12
In the world of money laundering , the money bag or dollar bill ( as shown in Figure 1 ) are common emojis . Additional emojis could include the following ( ). Investigators can use the resource Emojipedia ( https :// emojipedia . org ) as a research tool .
▪ Cannabis deal : 13
▪ Drug deal : or any of these emojis or
▪ Money mules needed :
▪ Send money transfer :
▪ Mobile or digital money :
▪ Deposit money :
▪ Take money out of the ATM :
Actionable steps for compliance professionals
▪ Increase awareness of slang , emojis and stickers that indicate illicit activity and can be embedded in transactions and related to social media interactions .
▪ Foster stronger collaborations between LE , social media platforms and FIs to track and detect illicit activity between social media platforms and payment systems .
▪ Train investigators and transaction monitoring staff on the fentanyl typologies and methods of money laundering techniques . ACAMS has published a new anti-financial crime fentanyl toolkit that can provide the financial sector with resources and guidance to build more resilient and adaptive anti-money laundering systems . Find the toolkit at https :// www . acams . org / en / premium-resources # afc-toolkit-4e851f9a .
The fentanyl crisis continues to devastate communities across the U . S . and Canada , and FIs have a material role in detecting and disrupting the illicit financial flows that fuel this epidemic . These criminals and drug buyers frequently employ coded language , emojis and slang to evade detection and communicate discreetly , taking advantage of digital platforms to facilitate their illegal operations . Subsequently , understanding and decoding these communication methods is essential for improving detection efforts and supporting investigations .
Dr . William Scott Grob , ACAMS , director , Research and Analysis , wsgrob @ acams . org
1
“ Number of opioid overdose deaths in the U . S . from 1999 to 2022 ,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for Health Statistics , March 28 , 2024 , https :// www . statista . com / statistics / 798347 / number-of-opioid-overdosedeaths-in-the-us /
2
“ FIN-2024-A002 : Supplemental Advisory on the Procurement of Precursor Chemicals and Manufacturing Equipment Used for the Synthesis of Illicit Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids ,” Financial Crimes Enforcement Network , June 20 , 2024 , https :// www . fincen . gov / sites / default / files / advisory / 2024-06-20 / FinCEN-Supplemental- Advisory-on-Fentanyl-508C . pdf
3
“ DEA Intelligence Report : Slang Terms and Code Words : A Reference for Law Enforcement Personnel ,” Drug Enforcement Administration , July 2018 , https :// www . dea . gov / sites / default / files / 2018-07 / DIR-022-18 . pdf
4
Eric Holbrook , Brandt Wiskur and Zsolt Nagykaldi , “ Discovering Drug Slang on Social Media : A Word2Vec Approach with Reddit Data ,” Research Square , May 10 , 2024 , https :// www . researchsquare . com / article / rs-4373299 / v1
5
“ DEA Intelligence Report : Slang Terms and Code Words : A Reference for Law Enforcement Personnel ,” Drug Enforcement Administration , July 2018 , https :// www . dea . gov / sites / default / files / 2018-07 / DIR-022-18 . pdf
6
Eric Holbrook , Brandt Wiskur and Zsolt Nagykaldi , “ Discovering Drug Slang on Social Media : A Word2Vec Approach with Reddit Data ,” Research Square , May 10 , 2024 , https :// www . researchsquare . com / article / rs-4373299 / v1
7
“ Facts Emoji : 15 Top Emoji Statistics and Data for 2023 ,” Amra and Elma , https :// www . amraandelma . com / facts-emoji-and-statistics /
8
“ Emoji Drug Code ― Decoded ,” Drug Enforcement Administration , https :// www . dea . gov / sites / default / files / 2021-12 / Emoji % 20 Decoded . pdf
9
Ibid .
10
“ Drug Emoji Guide ,” GABB , 2022 , https :// cdn . gabb . com / wp-content / uploads / 2022 / 10 / street-drugs-oct-22 . png
11
Amelia Acker and Dhiraj Murthy , “ What is Venmo ? A descriptive analysis of social features in the mobile payment platform ,” Telematics and Informatics , Vol . 52 , September 2020 , https :// www . sciencedirect . com / science / article / pii / S0736585320300885
12
“ Emoji Drug Code ― Decoded ,” Drug Enforcement Administration , https :// www . dea . gov / sites / default / files / 2021-12 / Emoji % 20 Decoded . pdf
13
Ibid .
28 acamstoday . org