HELSINKI: Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) receives notices of 23,000 suspicious transactions in 2014, including 13 cases of suspected money laundering. Banks, insurance and currency transfer as well as currency exchange companies are required by law to inform the police of any suspicious activity.
According to the National Bureau of Investigation, the suspected cases of terrorism financing mainly deal with money transfers abroad. The number of cases the police received regarding money laundering fell last year for the first time in the history of the financial unit. In the previous year, they saw more than 28,000 cases.
According to the National Bureau of Investigation, the use of virtual currency, such as Bitcoin, as well as phone transactions have become more common in money laundering cases. The Bureau has identified a number of cases where people have invested in shares, only to be asked for more money for the investments, when the shares in question never actually existed.