Laundering Money via Wire Remittances through Bureau de Change or Money Services Business

B

The correct answer is B. A customer in country A makes frequent wire transfers to a single customer in country B that are slightly under the legal reporting threshold.

Money laundering through wire remittances is a common method used by criminals to move illicit funds across borders. Wire remittances are transfers of money through financial institutions such as banks, money services businesses, or bureau de changes.

Option A describes a weekly small wire transfer from a customer in one country to an individual in another country. This method is commonly known as "smurfing," where small transactions are made by multiple individuals to avoid detection. However, this method does not involve a bureau de change or money services business, so it is not the correct answer.

Option C describes a large number of wire transfers sent from a large number of senders in one country to a large number of recipients in another country during a specific time period. This method is commonly known as "structuring," where large transactions are broken down into smaller amounts to avoid detection. However, this method does not involve a single customer or wire transfers that are slightly under the legal reporting threshold, so it is not the correct answer.

Option D describes a customer in one country who receives four small wire transfers from four different individuals located in another country on a specific date. This method is commonly known as "layering," where funds are moved through multiple accounts or jurisdictions to make it difficult to trace the original source of funds. However, this method does not involve wire transfers sent through a bureau de change or money services business, so it is not the correct answer.

Option B describes a customer in one country who makes frequent wire transfers to a single customer in another country that are slightly under the legal reporting threshold. This method is commonly known as "smurf and break" or "structuring by placement," where small transactions are made repeatedly to avoid detection, and the amounts are kept slightly below the threshold that requires reporting. This method involves wire transfers sent through a bureau de change or money services business, which are commonly used by money launderers to move funds across borders anonymously. Therefore, option B is the correct answer.

In summary, the correct answer is B because it describes a method commonly used to launder money through wire remittances sent through a bureau de change or money services business. It involves a customer in one country making frequent wire transfers to a single customer in another country that are slightly under the legal reporting threshold.