Could you spot a money launderer at work? 

When most people hear “anti-money laundering,” or AML, they think of banks and finance departments. But the truth is, money laundering doesn’t just happen on Wall Street — it can happen in any workplace, in any industry and often in the most routine of ways. 

Criminals aren’t always running elaborate scams from overseas. Sometimes, they pose as vendors, employees or contractors. All they need is a crack in the system — and that often comes from everyday tasks like hiring, approving payments or onboarding vendors. 

What is money laundering? 

Money laundering is the process of making illegally obtained money — often from crimes like fraud, drug trafficking or corruption — appear legitimate. Criminals do this by moving the money through a series of transactions or fake businesses to hide its true source. The goal is to “clean” the money so it can be used without raising suspicion.  

Spotting money launderers rarely starts with something obviously illegal. More often, it begins with something that just feels… off. 

• A team lead insists on rushing a contractor through the hiring process without references.  
• A new employee asks to reroute payments without following standard protocols. 
• A vendor’s name pops up that no one’s heard of — and no one can explain who approved them. 

Each of these moments can seem isolated and harmless. But when ignored, they become the open doors money launderers are looking for. 

In one case, a nonprofit organization hired a contractor right before the holidays. The rush to meet end-of-year deadlines meant normal vetting steps were skipped. Months later, finance discovered that the contractor had been funneling fake payments into a shell account. By the time the fraud was uncovered, the contractor was long gone — and the organization had to answer to regulators and donors alike. 

Just one employee feeling empowered to ask, “Are we sure about this?” might have prevented this. 

Money laundering is not just a “big company” problem 

It’s easy to assume your company is too small, too local or too cautious to be targeted. That is what money launderers look for: 

Criminals know how to spot low vigilance: Fast growing teams without formal workflows, remote or hybrid workforces with less oversight. The less attention you pay, the more attention they give you. 

Policies and checklists are important. But what really stops money laundering is a workplace where people feel safe to question the status quo. That culture is shaped by everyday choices — who we hire, what behaviors we reward and whether integrity is something we talk about only once a year or live out every day. 

It’s also shaped by who gets trained, which should be every employee who touches payments, works with vendors, reviews contracts or makes hiring decisions — which, in today’s world, is just about everyone. 

A global company means global risk 

As businesses hire internationally or work with global partners, the risks grow. Vendors abroad may operate under different rules — or none at all. Background checks might not be as rigorous. And in some countries, whistleblower protections are weak or nonexistent. 

For example, a fast-growing tech company outsourced hiring to a third-party firm in Southeast Asia. That firm turned out to be a front for laundering stolen funds through fake invoices and ghost employees. By the time someone in finance flagged the discrepancies, the damage was done — and HR had to rebuild processes, restore trust and explain the oversight to leadership. 

Global scale demands global awareness. And it requires employees across departments to understand the risks and know how to respond. 

What you can do — starting today 

Preventing money laundering starts by being alert, asking questions, noticing when something feels wrong and knowing what to do about it. 

That might look like: 

• Questioning a sudden vendor that no one can explain. 
• Speaking up when a colleague pressures you to skip a step. 
• Flagging a document that seems incomplete or suspicious. 

If you’re not sure whether a process has been followed, check. If something seems vague or rushed, say so. And provide employee training and reporting channels — anonymous or otherwise. Silence is what criminals count on.