21 September 2012

Global Shell Games: Testing Money Launderers’ and Terrorist Financiers’ Access to Shell Companies


All organized crime is driven by profit and facilitated by financial secrecy, while terrorism also depends on secret funding. For large sums of dirty money there is no better device than an untraceable shell company for providing this secrecy.

This paper reports the results of an experiment soliciting offers for prohibited untraceable shell companies. Our research team impersonated a variety of low- and high-risk customers, including would-be money launderers, corrupt officials, and terrorist financiers, in making solicitations for anonymous companies.

Evidence is drawn from more than 7,400 email solicitations to more than 3,700 Corporate Service Providers that make and sell shell companies in 182 countries.

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