WhatsApp group chat used to launder millions in cash, funding crime and extremism - BBC News

The WhatsApp money launderers arranged cash transfers in the UK and around the world with no paper trail.

Image caption, The Islamic State group in Syria was among the recipients of funds

A WhatsApp group chat was used to launder hundreds of millions of euros in cash around the world, funding organised crime and extremism with no paper trail, an investigation by European broadcasters has found.

The 532-member group chat, called "Traders of Greater Europe", was used to arrange cash transfers across borders for their clients, including to UK cities such as Birmingham and London.

In one case, payments from Brussels went to militants from the Islamic State group (IS) in Syria.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) investigative journalism network, external, which includes the BBC, also found wider evidence of similar cash transfer systems being used in people smuggling and drug trafficking.