VIENTIANE, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Laos is strengthening cooperation with Thailand and international partners to combat money laundering linked to scam centers and other forms of transnational crime.
A seminar was held here on Monday under the theme "Prevention and Suppression of Money Laundering Linked to Scam Centers." The event brought together representatives from the Royal Thai Embassy in Laos, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Lao government agencies and international organizations to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in tackling financial crimes linked to scam operations, the local Pasaxon newspaper reported on Monday.
The seminar took place amid growing concerns over transnational criminal networks in the Lower Mekong sub-region, particularly those involved in scam centers and illegal online gambling. Participants discussed the increasing use of digital technologies, cryptocurrencies and mule accounts to commit fraud, launder illicit proceeds and facilitate other criminal activities.
Laos has made combating online scams a national priority and is working to strengthen its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing framework in line with the Financial Action Task Force action plan. The measures are targeted for completion by January 2027.
Discussions at the seminar focused on key areas including emerging scam-center operations and regional trends, legal and regulatory measures for urgent asset freezing, recovery and cross-border cooperation, strengthening the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) systems, tracing financial transactions and disrupting mule accounts, preventing the misuse of cryptocurrencies and unregulated over-the-counter brokers. ■