WhatsApp group chat used to send millions in cash, funding crime and extremism
An investigation by European broadcasters revealed that a 532-member WhatsApp group was used to facilitate massive, untraceable cash transfers globally. The network utilized the ancient hawala system to fund organized crime and extremist groups, including the Islamic State in Syria.
Why it matters
This highlights the vulnerability of encrypted messaging platforms to facilitate illicit financial flows and terror financing, bypassing traditional banking regulations.
Image caption, The Islamic State group in Syria was among the recipients of funds
A WhatsApp group chat was used to send hundreds of millions of euros in cash around the world, funding organised crime and extremism with no paper trail, an investigation by European broadcasters has found.
The 532-member group chat, called "Traders of Greater Europe", was used to arrange cash transfers across borders for their clients, including to British cities such as Birmingham and London.
In one case, payments from Brussels went to militants from the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) investigative journalism network , external , which includes the BBC, also found wider evidence of similar cash transfer systems being used in people smuggling and drug trafficking.
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