Latest news with #Kinahan-linked
Time Business News
15-05-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
Banking on Lies: How Synthetic Identities Are Infiltrating the Financial System
NEW YORK — As global financial institutions race to digitize their services, they are also opening new doors to deception. Synthetic identities—digital constructs of entirely fabricated individuals—are being used by transnational crime syndicates, including the Kinahan Organized Crime Group (KOCG), to infiltrate the banking system. These forgeries pass through know-your-customer (KYC) onboarding, open high-limit accounts, and enable the laundering of millions of dollars without triggering alarms. This new wave of fraud is highly sophisticated and often undetectable by legacy systems. Financial institutions are facing urgent threats not just to compliance, but to their reputations and stability. Amicus International Consulting is working with banks, fintech firms, and regulators to deploy advanced synthetic identity detection and risk prevention strategies. Synthetic Identities: A Trojan Horse in Modern Banking Unlike stolen identities, which rely on co-opting real personal information, synthetic identities are created from scratch using AI-generated photos, fake credentials, and forged metadata. Once established, these personas are weaponized to: Open bank accounts across multiple jurisdictions. Secure credit cards, loans, and even mortgages. Move crypto into fiat via exchange platforms. Create transaction histories to build 'legitimacy.' Launder illicit funds under the veil of legitimacy. A single synthetic identity can enable a criminal enterprise to move millions through bank systems, exploit government programs, and evade financial monitoring protocols. Real-World Case Study: The Kinahan Cartel's Banking Web In 2024, U.S. authorities uncovered a ring of synthetic identities used by Kinahan-linked proxies to open high-value accounts in Switzerland, Estonia, and the UAE. One such identity—'Aleksei Popov'—was used to: Open accounts at three banks using falsified CBI-acquired documents. Pass KYC checks with a digitally generated passport image and facial recognition spoofing. Funnel over USD 12.8 million in Monero proceeds from narcotics deals through various shell companies into clean Euros. The identity was maintained for nearly 30 months without detection. It wasn't until Amicus flagged behavioural inconsistencies in transaction metadata that the network was dismantled. How Synthetic Identities Slip Past Compliance Systems 🔍 Weaknesses in Traditional KYC: Reliance on visual ID checks (e.g., matching a selfie with a passport) can be spoofed with deep fake tools or 3d facial overlays. Document forgery can pass verification when issued by legitimate governments under CBI programs. Address verification using forged utility bills or prepaid phone statements can easily be faked. 🧠 Behavioural Inconsistencies Missed: Synthetic identities often exhibit abnormal transaction patterns: excessive foreign transactions, non-usage during peak times, or lack of location diversity in device usage. These flags are often ignored unless paired with blacklist or fraud reports. Emerging Tactics: Financial Fraud by Design Criminals now design synthetic identities with the goal of 'aging' them over time. Tactics include: Account farming: Opening multiple bank accounts, leaving them dormant, and slowly adding transaction history. Opening multiple bank accounts, leaving them dormant, and slowly adding transaction history. Layering financial history: Using AI tools to create plausible payroll receipts, tax filings, or invoices. Using AI tools to create plausible payroll receipts, tax filings, or invoices. Piggybacking on real identities: Combining partial real data (e.g., a real Social Security number with a fake name) to boost credibility. These synthetic identities are then used to pass compliance at Tier 1 banks, international crypto exchanges, and digital asset lenders. The Cost to the Banking Industry According to a 2024 Deloitte report: Synthetic identity fraud cost U.S. financial institutions over $6.8 billion in 2023 alone. in 2023 alone. The average lifespan of a synthetic banking customer before detection is 16 to 24 months . . 61% of banks admit they cannot distinguish synthetic from real identities during initial onboarding. This represents a threat to compliance and a long-term systemic risk. How Amicus International Is Helping Banks Fight Back Amicus International Consulting has developed a three-layer synthetic identity detection framework, which several international banks and fintech platforms are already piloting. 1. Synthetic Risk Scoring Engine (SRSE) Our AI model analyzes hundreds of signals from onboarding to ongoing usage to assign synthetic risk scores. Key metrics include: Facial geometry symmetry Metadata entropy (too perfect = red flag) Transaction velocity anomalies Time zone/device inconsistencies 2. Deep KYC Behavioural Profiling Instead of relying only on document verification, Amicus deploys behavioural analytics tools that detect: Unrealistic device or access patterns Financial behaviour mismatches across customer demographics Microtransaction layering (a standard laundering method) 3. Blockchain and Crypto Wallet Attribution We partner with chain analysis firms to: Track wallets linked to known fraud cases. Flag accounts funded by mixers or high-risk exchanges. Reverse engineer funding routes that originate from synthetic applicants. Integrating Amicus into Banking Infrastructure Amicus is currently advising institutions in: The European Union on PSD2-compliant digital identity safeguards. on PSD2-compliant digital identity safeguards. The UAE and Singapore on cross-border account vetting for high-net-worth clients. on cross-border account vetting for high-net-worth clients. North American fintech startups on integrating SRSE into onboarding APIS. Our systems are plug-and-play compatible with major KYC providers, including Jumio, Onfido, and Trulioo. Regulatory Recommendations Amicus advocates for: Mandatory behavioural biometrics in addition to facial ID for onboarding. Global blacklist of synthetic identities and known fraud artifacts. Enhanced scrutiny of crypto-fiat ramp services tied to bank accounts. Unified CBI-KYC review systems between banks and passport-issuing jurisdictions. Conclusion: The Synthetic Identity Threat Is Real—and Growing In today's digital-first banking environment, criminals no longer need to break into banks. They build fake customers that walk through the front door undetected. Synthetic identity fraud is fast becoming the most advanced financial crime of the 2020s. At Amicus International Consulting, we are not only identifying synthetic identities but eliminating the digital soil in which they grow. 📞 Contact Information Phone: +1 (604) 200-5402 Email: info@ Website: Follow Us: 🔗 LinkedIn 🔗 Twitter/X 🔗 Facebook 🔗 Instagram TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Sunday World
11-05-2025
- Sunday World
Cartel mobster ‘The Wig' on warpath after Aoife McGregor's salon robbed
Drug addict is believed responsible for theft at salon which is owned by Conor McGregor's sister, Aoife Gangster Graham 'the Wig' Whelan is furious after the tanning salon owned by Conor McGregor's sister Aoife was robbed Gardaí have received key intelligence that feared mobster Graham 'The Wig' Whelan is on the 'warpath' after a tanning salon owned by his girlfriend, Conor McGregor's sister Aoife, was robbed. A local drug addict is suspected of robbing a small sum of cash from the Stop N Glow premises on Bridgefoot Street in the Liberties area of the capital early last week. The matter was not reported to Gardaí but detectives became aware of the crime after receiving information that 'The Wig' has been terrorising people in the south inner city in an attempt to identify the culprit. According to information received by gardaí, they believe that Whelan has identified the suspect as being most likely based in the nearby Oliver Bond flats complex. Conor McGregor with his sisters, Erin and Aoife Gardaí have not received any complaint about the alleged robbery but the believe the culprit is most likely a local drug addict. 'There is a security alert in place because of what is alleged to have happened at Ms McGregor's business and because Mr Whelan is simply a very dangerous individual,' a source told the Sunday World. 'The understanding is that Ms McGregor was not present at her business when this allegedly happened but gardaí cannot properly investigate a crime when it is not reported to them. 'What is known is that Whelan has not taken this very well at all and is determined to find who is responsible for it. It is a matter of respect as far he is concerned and that makes this situation pretty concerning from a policing point of view,' the source explained. In January, we revealed that Aoife McGregor appointed William Whelan, the father of her gangster boyfriend 'The Wig' as the company secretary of her business. 'This robbery is personal to him – make no mistake about that,' a source said. The tanning business owned by Aoife McGregor Aoife (39) has been going out with Kinahan-linked criminal Graham Whelan (42) in recent years and regularly visited him while he was in prison on money- laundering offences. The company was set up last July but the business only opened up last December. Career criminal 'The Wig' has 34 convictions, including five drugs convictions. He was a close pal of David Byrne, who was shot dead in the Regency Hotel attack as part of the Kinahan-Hutch feud. Gangster Graham 'the Wig' Whelan is furious after the tanning salon owned by Conor McGregor's sister Aoife was robbed News in 90 seconds - 11th May 2025 In December 2022, Whelan was released from prison after serving an 18-month sentence for money-laundering. 'The Wig' was previously jailed for six years over a €1.6million drug seizure at a hotel in Dublin. The infamous bust, carried out at the Holiday Inn when Whelan was just 17, was seen as the beginning of the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud which resulted in 16 people being murdered. After being arrested by gardaí, Whelan told them that he could do 10 years in jail 'standing on his head'. Graham Whelan and Aoife McGregor have been partners for several years In December 2022, Whelan was released from prison after serving an 18-month sentence for money-laundering. 'The Wig' was arrested but later released without charge by gardaí investigating the feud gun murder of rival criminal Gary Bryan (31) in Walkinstown in September 2006. Graham 'The Wig' Whelan is out for vengeance The Sunday World previously revealed that Whelan was a regular player for McGregor's Black Forge pub team, and even handed over a cheque for €750 to homeless charity Stronger Together, which expressed shock when informed as to who had handed over the money. He is one of the most feared criminals in the country and Gardaí have serious concerns that he may dish out some extreme violence to the drug addict who allegedly targeted Aoife McGregor's tanning salon. Conor McGregor was ordered to pay Nikita Hand €250,000 in a civil action she took against him Meanwhile her controversial UFC brother Conor McGregor continues to spark outrage on social media, including last week when he posted an AI-created image of himself as the new pope. The image was accompanied with the message: 'Surprise surprise motherfooker the king is back!' He is appealing against the decision by a High Court jury who found him civilly liable for the rape of Drimnagh woman Nikita Hand at a Dublin Hotel in 2018. The jury found that he raped the hairdresser and awarded her just under €250,000 in damages.
Sunday World
05-05-2025
- Sunday World
Exclusive pictures show gangster Glen Ward and Gucci Gang pals on nights out before prison
'Mr Flashy' photo album features underworld thugs who were murdered in turf feuds or now languish behind bars Ward and Hyland take selfie with gang of friends This is gangster Glen Ward partying with a host of gangland figures, most of whom are now dead or behind bars, as he rose to prominence in Ireland's underworld. Ward, who was jailed for five-and-a-half years for firearms offences, became a gang boss better known as 'Mr Flashy' after numerous Kinahan-aligned criminals based in north-west Dublin left the country in the aftermath of the Regency Hotel attack. He was given the nickname because of his love for designer gear, including high-end runners and as our photos show, Ward often showed off his passion for fashion as he sported luxury watches, Gucci caps and expensive man bags. Karl Hyland and Glen Ward The photos show Ward partying with pals as he enjoyed a glamorous lifestyle and splashed the cash on upmarket clothing brands and lavish holidays. Ward was still in his early 20s when he started making a name for himself in the criminal underworld, but had close links to older Cartel criminals, including Cabra man Karl Hyland and Finglas gunman Trevor Byrne. Hyland was a nephew of slain gang boss Martin 'Marlo' Hyland who was killed on the orders of one-time associate Eamon 'the Don' Dunne in Dublin in 2006. Dunne became the main player in north-west Dublin after Marlo's murder and ordered numerous gang hits in a reign of terror that ended when he was shot dead in 2010, in a hit believed to have been carried out by Kinahan-linked criminals. Ward and Hyland were also snapped together with Lee Boylan, who was seriously injured in a gun attack in Mulhuddart in March 2019 as part of a west Dublin feud with associates of Eric Fowler, who was shot dead three months earlier. Ian O'Heaire Boylan's father Noel Boylan survived a gun attack on the Blakestown Road in Dublin in June 2019 just three months after his son was almost killed. Like Ward, Karl Hyland was jailed after he was caught test-firing guns in a back garden. He was sentenced to was jailed for five years in December 2011 after he pleaded guilty to possession of the weapons, including two handguns, a silencer and dozens of rounds of ammunition. After his release from prison, Ward was regularly spotted with Karl Hyland on numerous nights out and trips abroad. He was also snapped with Hyland's close associate Eric Keogh, a criminal from Cabra who had amassed almost 200 convictions by his mid-20s. The group were close associates of Trevor Byrne, who was suspected of numerous gun attacks – including some linked to the Kinahan-Hutch feud – and took Ward under his wing. Ward and Hyland take selfie with gang of friends Hyland, Keogh and Byrne all left Ireland as the Kinahan- Hutch feud escalated and, despite his youth, Ward then rose to prominence as the leader of what became known as the 'Gucci Gang' due to their penchant for wearing designer watches, designer clothes and manbags. He aligned himself with numerous other criminals in a network that extended beyond his Finglas base. Our pictures show Ward partying with well-known criminal Ian O'Heaire, who was previously jailed for smuggling drugs from Dubai to Australia. O'Heaire is an associate and cousin of senior Kinahan Cartel figure Ross Browning. An investigation by the Criminal Assets Bureau into Browning revealed how O'Heaire acted as a go-between with Ward's gang. GlenThompson parties with a Gucci gang pal The gang were involved in serious feuding in Finglas and surrounding areas as they rose in prominence in Ireland's underworld, falling out with one-time associates along the way. Among those to eventually fall foul of Ward was north Dublin drug dealer James Whelan, who was shot dead as part of a feud with the Gucci Gang in 2022. Our pictures show the numerous gangland figures who Ward previously partied with who are now either dead or behind bars. They include feared criminal Glen Thompson, who along with is brother Gary is serving a lengthy sentence after being caught with firearms in Dublin as part of 2018 plot to murder Patsy Hutch, a brother of Gerry 'the Monk' Hutch. He was also pictured partying with a close associate of Jason Hennessy Snr, who died following a Christmas Eve dinner at Browne's Steakhouse in Blanchardstown in 2022. The associate cannot be named as he is currently before the courts on serious charges. Several other associates pictured with Ward suffered worse fates than jail. Ward with Hyland and Jamie Tighe out clubbing They include Darndale criminal Jamie Tighe-Ennis who was shot dead in a gun attack on Moatview Avenue, Priorswood, Dublin 17, in October 2017. Another associate, Zach Parker, a drug dealer from Swords, was shot dead in the north Dublin suburb in January 2019. The day after Parker's murder, gardaí watched as Ward met up with another Gucci Gang associate, Sean Little, a drug dealer from Kilmore in north Dublin. Ward was pictured attending Parker's funeral with other Gucci Gang associates. DAPPER: Glen Ward (in Gucci cap) with Karl Hyland (left) and Lee Boylan Today's News in 90 Seconds - May 5th Another man who joined them at the funeral was Caolan Smyth, who is serving 20 years in prison for shooting Hutch associate James 'Mago' Gately in a murder attempt in Dublin in May 2017. Smyth, who was a suspect in up to 10 gun attacks, was blamed for the murder of Little (22), who was shot dead in May 2019 just months after Parker's killing. A day after Little was murdered another associate of Ward, Jordan Davis (23) was shot dead in Coolock on orders of Robert 'Roo' Redmond over a drug debt. Another man with links to Ward, Iranian criminal Hamid Sanambar (41), was shot dead a week later after being blamed for involvement in Little's murder. In the weeks after those killings, Ward tried to silence the Sunday World after we named him and exposed his links to organised crime when he was arrested following a drug seizure in Finglas in July 2019 Ward at house party with pals We highlighted his links to the Kinahan Cartel and the Coolock feud victims and revealed he had been arrested after gardaí raided a house on Ratoath Road. They seized an estimated €5,000 of cocaine and cannabis along with cash, weighing scales, packaging material, a number of mobile phones, electronic devices and weapons. Gardaí used flash grenades as they raided the house which has previously been targeted in attacks by criminal gangs. Ward was arrested in connection with the operation but later released without charge. In a legal letter, Ward's solicitor said his client denied being pals with Glen Thompson. He added that while he may have known Tighe-Ennis, Parker, Little, Davis and Sanambar it was 'reckless' to name him as a 'pal' of them. He went on to say Ward 'is not associated with any cartel' and said he would issue immediate legal proceedings against the Sunday World unless there was an admission of liability coupled with an offer of compensation. The Sunday World robustly defended the article and no legal proceedings were ever issued. Within a couple of years Ward's gang was back involved in serious feuding, this time based around Finglas which led to numerous gun attacks, petrol bombings and assaults. The feud claimed the life of Ward's former associate James Whelan who was shot dead in 2022. The feud also led to attempts on the lives of Ward and his brother Glen O'Driscoll. After one of those hit attempts, gardaí responded to reports that shots had been fired at a taxi on the Tolka Valley Road in June 2022. When they searched the taxi, they found a phone that they were later able to connect to O'Driscoll. Video footage on the phone showed Ward and O'Driscoll firing from a semi-automatic rifle from the back door of a Finglas home during a house party. Ward (32), pleaded guilty to a charge that on January 1, 2022 at an address in Finglas he possessed or had control of a .223 calibre Remington AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in circumstances giving rise to a reasonable inference that he did not have it for a lawful purpose. O'Driscoll (23) pleaded guilty to possession of the same gun and was recently jailed for five years. Gardaí discovered the rifle alongside a military sub-machine gun during a search of a house in Finglas in February 2022.
Sunday World
25-04-2025
- Sunday World
Home bought for use as Kinahan cartel growhouse sells for half the price spent on it
The Kinahan-linked Byrne Gang had planned to use the house as Drumany in Co Leitrim after their operations in Wexford had attracted too much garda attention. A HOUSE bought to be used by a cannabis growhouse operation has been sold for less than half the price spent on it before it was seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau. The Kinahan-linked Byrne Gang had planned to use the house as Drumany in Co Leitrim after their operations in Wexford had attracted too much garda attention. Taxi driver Niall Smith believed by gardaí to have run the cannabis-growing set-up, bought two remote properties in the county. Niall Smith The property at Drumany was bought in 2011 for €15,000 but Cab estimated that €422,355 was spent on building a house on the site. It sold for €206,000 at auction today in which four bidders competed to buy the property and house which had been refurbished to a high standard. The reserve price of €125,000 was met early in the auction process. A second house at Toomans, Co Leitrim had also been bought to be converted into a grow house on which Smith spent €86,000, according to Cab evidence. The home in Leitrim That is now due to go for auction next month with a reserve price of €25,000. Cab said Smith was involved in the 'large-scale cultivation of cannabis' on the direction 'of a faction the current Kinahan Organised Crime Group namely FreDdy Thompson and Liam' and was being monitored by lower level members. Garda intelligence indicated more grow houses were operating or being set up in Offaly, Westmeath, Longford, Roscommon and Leitrim, according to Cab. Inside the house The two properties were at the centre of Cab's case against Smith to have them declared the proceeds of crime. Smith, who initially opposed the Cab case, had said he is a taxi driver who also does boat repairs and denied any involvement in crime and that his money came from undeclared earnings. He said he was living off income from renting out a room in his Clondalkin home and was able to get by on €200 a week. The Sunday World previously revealed how Smith had been exposed as the Byrne gang's cannabis grower in Ireland after being forced to hand over property to Cab. Originally from Crumlin, south Dublin, is said by Cab to have operated grow-houses throughout the country for more than ten years. Smith was suspected of using the cover of his taxi business to transport the cannabis from remote rural areas back up to the Crumlin area for sale. A sophisticated grow house at Courtown, Co Wexford, was discovered in 2013 where Smith was present at the time. The same year, 140 plants were found at an industrial unit in Swords along with Smith's fingerprint, but no charges were brought. One officer who investigated the Crumlin native described him in an affidavit as 'very shrewd in his criminal enterprise'. He used as few people as possible in the operation 'with a view to reducing his exposure to law enforcement and remaining undetected', 'These grow-houses appear to be large in scale and professionally and efficiently run.'
