Money laundering is the illegal process of making large amounts of money generated by a criminal activity, such as drug trafficking or terrorist funding, appear to have come from a legitimate source. The money from the criminal activity is considered dirty, and the process “launders” it to make it look clean. Money laundering is a serious financial crime that is employed by white-collar and street-level criminals alike. Most financial companies have anti-money-laundering (AML) policies in place to detect and prevent this activity. Money laundering is essential for criminal organizations that wish to use illegally obtained money effectively. Dealing in large amounts of illegal cash is inefficient and dangerous. Criminals need a way to deposit the money in legitimate financial institutions, yet they can only do so if it appears to come from legitimate sources. The process of laundering money typically involves three steps: placement, layering, and integration.
