AFC Ecosystem FinCrime Files: Real Estate-Based Money Laundering

This edition of FinCrime Files explores how criminals exploit the real estate sector to launder illicit funds. Key scenarios include the use of shell companies to purchase and flip pre-sale properties, layering embezzled corporate funds through developer payments and related-party loans, disguising illicit proceeds through inflated renovation and rental transactions, and simulating legitimate income via short-term rental platforms. Together, these tactics illustrate how property investments and rental activity can be manipulated to legitimise illicit wealth.