Even though it is not regularly publicized in the press, white collar crime, such as check fraud and insurance scams, police say, is a routine occurrence.
“We are seeing a lot of check frauds and stealing by reason of employment,” said officer in Charge of the Central Detective Unit, Marvin Dames, Sunday.
A guest speaker on Island FM’s 102.9 Parliament Street talk show, Supt. Dames continued, “It is very difficult for persons who are operating businesses to make a profit, because they are being ripped off, left, right and centre.
“We are also seeing a lot of fraud, having to do with real estate,” he said. “A lot of persons are selling property, purporting to be theirs, but at the end of the day, they don’t have anything to show and are mainly targeting poor unsuspecting females.”
Supt Dames said also that large amounts of money are being transferred illegally. Police are presently examining a matter involving a foreign female who was working in a bank that examined dormant accounts and moved cash from one account to another by wiring it outside of the country, he said.
“We are doing a lot of things internally,” he advised, “and we are working along with our counterparts in other parts of the region, as well as the world, to try and track down these individuals and the monies, before they are dispersed elsewhere. We have been able to recover a lot of cash and have it returned to where it belongs.”
Counterfeit money is also big business in The Bahamas, the CDU chief said, noting that counterfeit bills are being produced by means of computers with high tech printers. Just last Friday, he said, police arrested a man they had been targeting for a number of weeks for being in possession of counterfeit U.S. and Bahamian money.
Police Commissioner Paul Farquharson, who was also a guest on the talk show, said that money laundering remains a very “big” problem in The Bahamas. He said that criminals come up with the most innovative ways of trying to disguise illicit income. Where there is evidence that such offences may be taking place, he said, the suspects will be brought before the courts.
“These individuals are usually drug dealers or associates of dealers that come across as Mr. Businessman and Ms. Businesswoman. You would be surprised to know who they are,” the police chief said.
Supt. Dames added that those individuals who are involved in money laundering, “lock” onto someone who works in a bank and “pay them a few dollars to carry out favours.”
It is at this point, he said, that the question of “corruption” surfaces, and “People have to understand that if we intend to save this country, we must all become fully aware of our responsibility as citizens and to report whatever we deem as suspicious and criminal.”
When money laundering is carried out within businesses, it is the responsibility of the company to file a “suspicious transaction” report, Supt. Dames said.
Banks and insurance companies, in particular, have an obligation to report such matters, he said, noting that, “In recent times, we have been seeing the numbers grow over a period, but certainly, there is a responsibility.”
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
