The Top 10  Most Difficult Countries for Identity Verification

The Top 10  Most Difficult Countries for Identity Verification

Download Report

    n-img-roi-cross

    Before You Go, Schedule Your Free Demo Today

    Valid Invalid number


    Note: Fields marked with an asterisk(*) are mandatory.

    n-exit-img-roi-cross

    Thank you for your demo request

    We appreciate your interest and look forward to discussing how our solution can meet your needs. Expect to hear from us shortly with scheduling details.

    Close

    AML Screening – Combating Money Laundering in Luxury Vehicle Dealings

    b-img-money-luxury

    Financial criminals usually look for priceless items like art, antiquities, as well as luxury vehicles to spend their illegally obtained funds. Unlike banks and other traditional financial institutions, high-end car dealerships and yacht companies do not have stringent Anti-Money Laundering (AML) measures in place to detect suspicious activities.

    Any business or entity involved in selling high-end vehicles or yachts can risk heavy penalties and criminal proceedings if they fail to identify money laundering schemes and allow illicit funds to flow through their system. Detecting and mitigating the risks of money laundering requires car dealerships to identify the red flags and incorporate robust AML controls. 

    Vehicle Dealerships – A Safe Haven for Money Laundering?

    For quite some time now, the automotive sector has been a safe haven for money laundering. A common aspect of every financial criminal’s lifestyle is spending their proceeds of crime on priceless luxury items, including cars, yachts, and even private jets. These are items that allow money launderers to spend larger amounts from their proceeds of crime and, when re-sold, provide them legitimate cash. While money launderers use sophisticated methods to make it difficult for law enforcers to detect the flow of dirty money, luxury car dealerships unwillingly become participants in financial crime cases.

    It’s no secret that high-end cars and yachts attract wealthy politicians, business tycoons, and Russian oligarchs by providing the perfect opportunity to spend larger amounts in one transaction. Cash payments at car dealerships mean that dirty money can directly be made part of the financial system without leaving any traces behind. Normally, the automotive export market is not regulated by financial watchdogs. 

    This opens the doors wide open for money launderers, as there is no one to ask for any proof or source of wealth. As luxury car and yacht dealerships are not aware of AML requirements that are followed by banks and other financial institutions, they do not pay attention to such controls. In most cases, the dealership doesn’t even know that the buyer has paid for the purchase with illegally obtained funds.

    AML Guidelines for Luxury Vehicle Dealerships

    Depending on their scale and location, there are different AML guidelines that should be followed by dealers of high-end vehicles. Financial institutions and any other businesses that deal with monetary processes fall under the scope of AML regulations. The processes advised by financial regulators to prevent instances of money laundering are customer due diligence, risk analysis, and suspicious activity reporting. Although AML compliance varies from sector to sector and business to business, such measures have now become significant in the automotive sector to subdue financial crimes. 

    The US categorizes businesses involved in selling cars, boats, and planes as non-banking financial institutions. The law requires these businesses to comply with the same AML requirements as banks and investment firms. Similarly, Europe requires non-financial businesses that deal in the trade of goods belonging to other businesses to comply with AMLDs (Anti-Money Laundering Directives) when cash transactions exceed the threshold of €10,000.

    High-end vehicle dealers in the UK and Australia are also categorized under businesses (or sole traders) that deal with transactions exceeding a specific amount. 

    The second money laundering report issued by the Government of British Columbia in 2019 showed that the luxury car sector had a major role in money laundering. It also made recommendations to help combat money laundering in the sector, including the manufacturing, dealing, and regulations for car dealers. 

    b-info-red-flag

    According to the report, car dealerships must be designated entities that should report directly to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre (FINTRAC) under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA). It is also mentioned that once a car dealership is designated to report to FINTRAC, it is also required to implement an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance program, along with a compliance officer. Car dealerships, like banks, are required to enforce policies of staff training for the monitoring and reporting of transactions along with risk analysis.

    How Car Dealerships Can Identify Financial Criminals

    Regardless of the regulatory regimes they are subject to, car dealerships must implement robust AML screening solutions to identify and prevent becoming a source of a money laundering scheme. Car dealerships and other institutions involved in the dealings of luxury vehicles need to implement a risk-based approach and verify their customers’ identities. By incorporating effective measures for identity verification, car dealers can determine the risk factor associated with a customer. 

    Enhanced Due Diligence

    In high-risk cases, car dealerships are advised to adopt a more stringent approach to performing background screening of the customer. The process of Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) involves requiring proof of the sources of money, as well as screening against global sanctions lists. This allows the business to verify whether a customer has been previously added to a watchlist for involvement in activities like money laundering or terrorist financing. 

    The use of AI-based solutions allows businesses to use the information of the customer to check for their presence on global watchlists, including Interpol, OFAC, and UN lists. The car dealership should also take a step ahead by performing adverse media screening to determine whether the customer has been involved in the sharing of negative content. In addition to implementing these procedures, car dealerships should also train their employees consistently to stay updated about ongoing and upcoming AML regulations that the company has to adhere to.

    Staff Training

    Training staff members enable these types of businesses to reduce the risk of corruption on part of team members and their possible involvement in money laundering schemes. Luxury car dealerships also have a requirement for reporting payments exceeding a threshold amount in any currency. After identifying that the customers’ transactions are suspicious, dealers are obliged to file a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR).

    What Shufti Offers

    Money launderers use various sophisticated methods to obscure the origins of their ill-gotten funds. One of the convenient methods is the purchase of high-end vehicles with cash or through a car dealership to launder money. That being said, luxury car dealers need to identify and report high-risk individuals and companies using AML Screening measures. 

    Instead of facing the consequences of unintentionally getting involved in a money laundering case, vehicle dealerships should put aside an amount of money for implementing a robust AML compliance program. Shufti’s AI-driven AML Screening solution enables car dealerships to avoid sourcing financial crimes such as money laundering to stay clear of regulatory fines and other adverse consequences. 

    Want to learn more about AML Compliance for your car dealership?

    Related Posts

    Blog

    Periodic to Perpetual KYC — The Changing Landscape in Banks

    The employment of effective Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures has long been a challenge for fin...

    Periodic to Perpetual KYC — The Changing Landscape in Banks Explore More

    Blog

    May 2023 Recap: The Latest Global Regulatory Updates

    Technological advancements have paved the way for scammers to perpetrate various financial crimes...

    May 2023 Recap: The Latest Global Regulatory Updates Explore More

    Blog

    KYC Checks in Crypto | A Key to Secure Digital Assets

    In the last thirteen years, the crypto industry has redefined the financial sector. At the same t...

    KYC Checks in Crypto | A Key to Secure Digital Assets Explore More

    Blog

    Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) — What it means and how it helps financial institutions?

    The need for trusted digital communication in this age is crucial due to increasing cybercrimes. ...

    Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) — What it means and how it helps financial institutions? Explore More

    Blog

    A Brief Insight into the AML and CFT Framework of Thailand

    Thailand has become quite a popular and well-reputed financial hub, attracting investors worldwid...

    A Brief Insight into the AML and CFT Framework of Thailand Explore More

    Blog

    FBO Accounts and Fintech – Securing Financial Operation with ID Verification

    With global digitization, online financial services are becoming mainstream. Due to this, maintai...

    FBO Accounts and Fintech – Securing Financial Operation with ID Verification Explore More

    Blog

    Impact of Beneficial Ownership Transparency on Real Estate Crimes

    The high price tags of real estate in the US open doors for corrupt politicians, kleptocrats, and...

    Impact of Beneficial Ownership Transparency on Real Estate Crimes Explore More

    Blog

    Proof of Income: The Most Common Types of Documents Used to Determine a Client’s Financial Status

    Proof of income is a vital requirement in many financial and professional contexts. Recently, the...

    Proof of Income: The Most Common Types of Documents Used to Determine a Client’s Financial Status Explore More

    Blog

    A Brief Overview of 2021 AML Trends

    Over the last decade, regulatory scrutiny on Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance has remained ...

    A Brief Overview of 2021 AML Trends Explore More

    Blog

    Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Forex Trading: Insights from Hachem Rifai

    The foreign exchange (Forex) market stands apart as the largest and most liquid financial market ...

    Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Forex Trading: Insights from Hachem Rifai Explore More

    Blog

    How Scammers Bypass Face Verification and Tips for Choosing a Hacker-Resistant Liveness Solution

    Facial recognition technology has brought about elevated convenience in various aspects of life. ...

    How Scammers Bypass Face Verification and Tips for Choosing a Hacker-Resistant Liveness Solution Explore More

    Blog

    AML Compliance – Mitigating Money Laundering Risks in Insurance Companies

    The huge influx of funds through insurance companies has led criminals to exploit the whole syste...

    AML Compliance – Mitigating Money Laundering Risks in Insurance Companies Explore More

    Blog

    Electronic Identity Verification | Forecasts and Predictions

    Identities change as the world goes more digital. As more activities, like banking, socialising, ...

    Electronic Identity Verification | Forecasts and Predictions Explore More

    Blog

    Online Age Verification Service: Children’s Digital Privacy amid COVID-19

    The meteoric rise in the adoption of digital technology has influenced every phase of modern huma...

    Online Age Verification Service: Children’s Digital Privacy amid COVID-19 Explore More

    Blog, Fraud Prevention

    Account Takeover Frauds – Impact, Causes, and Prevention

    Living in the era of technology, the world is rapidly moving towards digitization. From banking i...

    Account Takeover Frauds –  Impact, Causes, and Prevention Explore More

    Blog

    China’s New Data Security and Personal Information Protection Laws [2022 Update]

    For the purpose of identification, interdiction, and prevention, many governments, regulators, an...

    China’s New Data Security and Personal Information Protection Laws [2022 Update] Explore More

    Blog

    The Digital Black Market for Identity Data

    The collection, purchase, or trade of customer data is big business. Unless organizations and ind...

    The Digital Black Market for Identity Data Explore More

    Blog

    Fraud Prevention – Challenges, Strategies, Best Practices, and Technologies

    The twenty-first century is by far the most revolutionary time in the history of humans in terms ...

    Fraud Prevention – Challenges, Strategies, Best Practices, and Technologies Explore More

    Blog

    Know Your Investor | Simplify the Onboarding Process

    Businesses at any stage need to onboard credible partners and investors who bring in capital and ...

    Know Your Investor | Simplify the Onboarding Process Explore More

    Blog, Online Marketplace

    Nordic Banks brace for Digital KYC with centralized Database

    Five major Nordic banks have formed a partnership to establish a company that will compile a cent...

    Nordic Banks brace for Digital KYC with centralized Database Explore More

    Blog

    COVID Passports – Bringing Convenience to the Travel & Tourism Sector

    “Sorry, the earth is closed today.”  Tony Stark’s sarcastic dialogue became the worst possible re...

    COVID Passports – Bringing Convenience to the Travel & Tourism Sector Explore More

    Blog

    Identity verification in freelancing- no more smoke and mirrors

    Freelancing platforms are rapidly growing. In 2017, around 57 million Americans were freelancing ...

    Identity verification in freelancing- no more smoke and mirrors Explore More

    Biometric Technology, Blog

    4 Reasons why Facial Recognition is Better at Biometric Verification than Fingerprint Scans

    Biometric verification is smartphones was introduced nearly five years ago when iPhone launched i...

    4 Reasons why Facial Recognition is Better at Biometric Verification than Fingerprint Scans Explore More

    Blog

    Latest Gaming & Gambling Regulations Worldwide and the Role of Age Verification

    Online gaming has become more popular since COVID-19. The pandemic forced people to stay indoors,...

    Latest Gaming & Gambling Regulations Worldwide and the Role of Age Verification Explore More

    Blog, Identity & KYC

    Geolocation Technology and its benefits for KYC Verification

    KYC verification has come a long way from simply authenticating the official identity documents o...

    Geolocation Technology and its benefits for KYC Verification Explore More

    Blog

    Top 7 Gambling Trends to Look Out for in 2023

    Going from a few billion dollars to over $81 bn in a matter of a decade is astronomical for any i...

    Top 7 Gambling Trends to Look Out for in 2023 Explore More

    Blog

    A Quantitative Insight into the Global Gaming and Gambling Industry

    The gaming and gambling industry has demonstrated exponential growth in the past decades and is e...

    A Quantitative Insight into the Global Gaming and Gambling Industry Explore More

    Blog

    Future Prediction of Identity Verification for Businesses

    Ensuring a user’s real identification has become crucial in the age of digitisation. Busine...

    Future Prediction of Identity Verification for Businesses Explore More

    Blog

    Risks of Vaccine Verification Apps & What IDV Industry can Offer

    COVID-19 has brought enough changes to make the world smarter. Businesses and customers migrating...

    Risks of Vaccine Verification Apps & What IDV Industry can Offer Explore More

    Blog

    Transaction Screening: The Benefits and Challenges

    Financial crimes are rising, wreaking havoc on organisations and individuals. The fraud rate has ...

    Transaction Screening: The Benefits and Challenges Explore More

    Blog

    6 Ways Identity Verification Will Unlock Digital Transformation in Airlines

    Airlines were particularly negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the situation was fu...

    6 Ways Identity Verification Will Unlock Digital Transformation in Airlines Explore More

    Blog

    KYC & AML Regulations in the UK: An Ultimate Guide

    Financial crimes have been around since the invention of money. Some argue that their origins are...

    KYC & AML Regulations in the UK: An Ultimate Guide Explore More

    Blog

    Understanding Risk assessment in the Gambling Sector

    The e-gambling industry has always been lucrative for gamers. However, it has also been constantl...

    Understanding Risk assessment in the Gambling Sector Explore More

    Blog

    Protect Your Business Against Identity Theft with Face ID Check

    The efficacy of biometric authentication becomes questionable in the face of facial ID checks. It...

    Protect Your Business Against Identity Theft with Face ID Check Explore More

    Blog

    5 RegTech Applications That Will Govern the Financial Regime in 2021

    RegTech, short for Regulatory Technology, is the subset of FinTech which bridges the gap between ...

    5 RegTech Applications That Will Govern the Financial Regime in 2021 Explore More

    Blog

    A Brief Insight into Safe Havens for Russian Oligarchs

    The recent Russia-Ukraine conflict has sparked the West to impose sanctions targeting the Russian...

    A Brief Insight into Safe Havens for Russian Oligarchs Explore More

    Blog

    Evaluating the Potential of Digital ID Verification Systems in 2022

    Identity fraud and synthetic identities are skyrocketing and collectively account for a loss of ​...

    Evaluating the Potential of Digital ID Verification Systems in 2022 Explore More

    Blog

    e-IDV: Safeguarding Businesses and Customers in the Digital Age

    Identity theft cases are on the rise in this age of digitisation. In 2022, India topped the list ...

    e-IDV: Safeguarding Businesses and Customers in the Digital Age Explore More

    Blog

    Marketing Firms embracing KYC Services for Better service Delivery

    Browsing through your Facebook newsfeed and you come across one of ‘Those’ friends – “Hey P...

    Marketing Firms embracing KYC Services for Better service Delivery Explore More

    Blog

    Romance Scams: Protect Your Heart and Wallet with Identity Verification

    People searching for love online sometimes meet the unfortunate fate of a broken heart and someti...

    Romance Scams: Protect Your Heart and Wallet with Identity Verification Explore More

    Blog

    How Two-Factor Authentication Enhances the Security of Digital Business Platforms

    Considering the recent trends in fraudulent activities, it is evident that social engineering and...

    How Two-Factor Authentication Enhances the Security of Digital Business Platforms Explore More

    Biometric Technology, Blog, Business Technology

    Speed Up customer Onboarding with Online Facial Recognition

    Banks are spending loads to digitize their operations. The competition is mounting, plus, people ...

    Speed Up customer Onboarding with Online Facial Recognition Explore More

    Blog

    Addressing the Challenge of Money Laundering Risks for Payment Service Providers (PSPs)

    During the last few decades, the financial industry has altogether revolutionized, and digital tr...

    Addressing the Challenge of Money Laundering Risks for Payment Service Providers (PSPs) Explore More

    Blog

    7 Trends in Identity Verification Solutions to look for in 2020

    Internet is an anonymous space where people can hide their identities and come up with bizarre ps...

    7 Trends in Identity Verification Solutions to look for in 2020 Explore More

    Blog

    Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) Software – One step ahead of OCR

    What is ICR? Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) is an extended technology of Optical...

    Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) Software – One step ahead of OCR Explore More

    Blog

    Identity Verification – Combating Fraud in the Telecommunication Sector

    Developing technology, rapid growth in digitization, and increased use of digital transactions ha...

    Identity Verification – Combating Fraud in the Telecommunication Sector Explore More

    Blog

    Protect Your Bitcoin Business With KYC Compliance

    Even with a lot of resistance to its use as a form of currency, Bitcoin and its blockchain techno...

    Protect Your Bitcoin Business With KYC Compliance Explore More

    Blog

    Industries that Need Digital Identity Verification and Why?

    With continuous improvements in technology, different industries of the world are streamlining th...

    Industries that Need Digital Identity Verification and Why? Explore More

    Blog, Online Marketplace

    Industrial significance of KYC / AML Compliance in 2019

    As the type and amount of fraudulent activities have increased over the years, governments and re...

    Industrial significance of KYC / AML Compliance in 2019 Explore More

    Blog

    Biometric Authentication Technology – Everything you Need to Know

    Nowadays businesses are looking for more secure systems for the sole reason of customer authentic...

    Biometric Authentication Technology – Everything you Need to Know Explore More

    Blog

    5 Effective Ways Shufti Combats First-party Fraud

    After analysing fraud incidents of the previous year and the current one, we observed an interest...

    5 Effective Ways Shufti Combats First-party Fraud Explore More

    Blog

    Top 10 Questions about AML Compliance Answered by the CTO of Shufti

    The regulatory landscape is changing with time and a number of questions are arising. AML complia...

    Top 10 Questions about AML Compliance Answered by the CTO of Shufti Explore More

    Blog

    Combating 8 Prevalent Biometric Fraud Through a Single AI Solution

    Considering how criminals are attempting new strategies to “steal a face”, companies are no longe...

    Combating 8 Prevalent Biometric Fraud Through a Single AI Solution Explore More

    Blog

    KYC Regulations Across the Globe | An Updated Guide 2023

     The global financial industry finds it hard to meet compliance and secure sensitive cus...

    KYC Regulations Across the Globe | An Updated Guide 2023 Explore More

    Blog, Identity & KYC

    KYC and AML Compliance can help cryptocurrencies to earn legitimacy

    Cryptocurrencies are currently limited in use by virtual currency enthusiasts or by lottery bidde...

    KYC and AML Compliance can help cryptocurrencies to earn legitimacy Explore More

    Anti Money Laundering, Blog, Financial Crime / AML

    Why PEPs are High Risk and a Threat To Your Business?

    In the Financial and Trade industry, you may have often heard the term PEPs and the importance of...

    Why PEPs are High Risk and a Threat To Your Business? Explore More

    Blog

    Stronger Global Identity Coverage… Where it Counts

    In today’s globalized economy, businesses are striving to expand their footprint across borders. ...

    Stronger Global Identity Coverage… Where it Counts Explore More

    Blog

    An Insight into Global Regulations for the Cryptocurrency Sector [2022 Update]

    With emerging technologies continuing to proliferate faster and rapid digitization all around us,...

    An Insight into Global Regulations for the Cryptocurrency Sector [2022 Update] Explore More

    Blog

    Top 5 Digital Banking Trends to Look Out for in 2022

    2021 was fundamentally geared towards surviving the pandemic and its aftermaths. The pandemic-acc...

    Top 5 Digital Banking Trends to Look Out for in 2022 Explore More

    Blog, Fraud Prevention

    Fraud Prevention through Secure Payment Processes

    Here’s a question, why do people always say things like  “the good days”? The fact is a number of...

    Fraud Prevention through Secure Payment Processes Explore More

    Blog

    Identity Verification Forecast: How Will KYC Evolve in 2023?

    As the world becomes more digital, scammers are honing their craft and employing trickier techniq...

    Identity Verification Forecast: How Will KYC Evolve in 2023? Explore More

    Blog, Online Marketplace

    Why age verification matters to online businesses?

    Identity verification services are fast becoming a business norm for companies that are enthusias...

    Blog, Identity & KYC, Online Marketplace

    Age Verification – Does Your Business Need It?

    Several businesses are unaware of the significance that age verification holds for their business...

    Age Verification –  Does Your Business Need It? Explore More

    Blog

    Anti-Money Laundering Solutions | Helping Businesses Fight Against Financial Crimes

    In today’s digital world, increased financial crimes adversely impact global industries, mainly t...

    Anti-Money Laundering Solutions | Helping Businesses Fight Against Financial Crimes Explore More

    Blog

    Synthetic Identity Fraud: Fake Identities for Criminal Activity

    An increase in financial crime has been predicted by economic downturns during the previous two d...

    Synthetic Identity Fraud: Fake Identities for Criminal Activity Explore More

    Blog

    How Artificial Intelligence is taking ID verification to the next level?

    Identity theft is deemed as a growing problem. Particularly with the increase in online shopping,...

    How Artificial Intelligence is taking ID verification to the next level? Explore More

    Blog

    Blockchain Technology and KYC for Crypto Exchanges – How Shufti Can Help

    KYC compliance is the backbone of the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) measures implemented by any fin...

    Blockchain Technology and KYC for Crypto Exchanges – How Shufti Can Help Explore More

    Blog

    KYC screening vs One time passwords – what’s good for your business?

    Customer due diligence sometimes tests the nerves of strategists and compliance officers. With mu...

    KYC screening vs One time passwords – what’s good for your business? Explore More

    Blog

    Anti-Smurfing Solutions | Safeguard Your Business Against Money Laundering Risks

    Businesses are under constant threat of financial damage. This is primarily because cybercriminal...

    Anti-Smurfing Solutions | Safeguard Your Business Against Money Laundering Risks Explore More

    Blog

    Indonesia’s First-ever Comprehensive Law on Data Privacy – the PDP Bill

    Being the largest economy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is experiencing enormous growth in the dig...

    Indonesia’s First-ever Comprehensive Law on Data Privacy – the PDP Bill Explore More

    Blog

    Paradigm Shift amid Corona – Online sales to take outstanding growth

    Coronavirus outbreak is proving to be catastrophic for the world with global cases reaching 2,495...

    Paradigm Shift amid Corona – Online sales to take outstanding growth Explore More

    Blog

    Card-Not-Present (CNP) Fraud – How to Prevent False Chargebacks?

    The eCommerce industry continues to grow rapidly, so are fraudulent activities. According to Stat...

    Card-Not-Present (CNP) Fraud – How to Prevent False Chargebacks? Explore More

    Take the next steps to better security.

    Contact us

    Get in touch with our experts. We'll help you find the perfect solution for your compliance and security needs.

    Contact us

    Request demo

    Get free access to our platform and try our products today.

    Get started