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The Hangzhou Public Security Bureau recently detected a criminal gang that used a “run-off platform” and virtual currency to provide payment channels and settlement services for cross-border gambling, telecommunications network fraud and other black products. The amount involved was more than 50 billion yuan. Public security experts believe that in the context of China’s severe crackdown on cross-border gambling and increased capital supervision, criminal gangs have introduced “run-off platforms” to provide new channels for cross-border money laundering through virtual currency settlement, and this type of crime has escalated. The rapid iteration and extremely concealed methods pose a serious threat to my country’s foreign exchange management and financial order, and it is urgent to take targeted preventive measures.

The “running sub-platform” “washes white” black gold nearly 10 billion yuan every month

Late September 2019, Hangzhou Public Security Bureau Xihu District During its work, the branch found an App platform called “Tiantianxiangxiang”, which used many personal WeChat, Alipay QR codes, etc. to collect and transfer money, and provide circulation and transfer of illegal income from illegal income such as overseas gambling websites and telecommunication fraud groups. For settlement services, the platform earns a lot of settlement fees.

Wei Dong, deputy director of the Xihu District Public Security Bureau, introduced that after preliminary investigations, only from June to September 2019, more than 70,000 registered members of the platform ran away and transferred The capital flow has reached more than 50 billion yuan, and the settlement capacity generated is nearly 30 billion yuan. On average, it provides nearly 10 billion yuan of “whitewashing” funds to upstream black ash production every month.

Through in-depth analysis of the platform’s “personnel chain”, “funding chain”, “technical chain” and “interest chain”, the police gradually figured out the structure of criminal organizations.

According to investigations, in early 2019, a foreign criminal, Hua Mou, remotely controlled a domestic personnel to build a “Tiantianxiang” platform, and introduced the capital payment requirements of upstream black and gray production platforms. The method of agency and hierarchical tapping attracts a large number of “runners” to carry out the “runner” business.

In the second half of 2019, in order to avoid the supervision of risk control funds, the gang introduced a digital currency “run points” model to try to transform. Illegal funds are converted into USDT (USDT), which is anchored at 1:1 with the U.S. dollar, and then entered into the “Funding Platform” capital chain. Before closing the network, it was ascertained that the “Tiantianxiangxiang” platform provided funds payment channels and settlement services for more than 1,900 cross-border gambling, telecommunications network fraud and other upstream black and gray products, which enabled more than 30 billion yuan of funds to flow out of supervision and flow overseas.

On May 27, 2020, the Hangzhou police organized more than 150 police forces,Initiated a campaign to collect net clusters within the enclosure. Up to now, more than 85 people have been arrested on the platform’s domestic technical team, agents, large-amount runners, major upstream black and gray merchants, and virtual currency trading related teams. A total of more than 65 million yuan of frozen assets have been seized, and the black and gray production platform has been investigated and dealt with. 2 pcs.

Multiple criminal industry chains weave underground funding channels

“As China’s crackdown on money laundering crimes increases, the traditional three-party payment As far as the black-and-grey product payee is concerned, the possibility of being supervised is very high, and the transaction risk is increased.” Wang Fei, political commissar of the Economic Investigation Detachment of Hangzhou Public Security Bureau introduced, “At this time, it is used as a fourth-party payment platform. The emergence and rapid development of a new force presents a trend of integration of multiple criminal industry chains.”

Take the gambling platform as an example. Gamblers need to recharge on the gambling platform. The request will be sent to the corresponding “run sub-platform”. The platform generates an order according to the recharge amount and puts the order to the front end of the App. The run sub-customer grabs the order, and uploads their own payment QR code after success. The link is transmitted to the gambler, and the gambler makes the payment. The “run sub-platform” then confirms the completion of the order, transfers and deducts the equal amount of the sub-run deposit, the gambler successfully recharges, the “run sub-platform” and the gambling platform later Reconciliation and settlement.

Ji Jinjun, the policeman handling the case, introduced that the “run sub-platform” has the advantages of unlimited scenarios, simple payment, and continuous commission return for run sub-customers; it has the advantages of upstream black and gray products. Advantages in safety, “stealth”, “sinking” of risks, and “diversion” of funds.

It is reported that up to now, the number of registered customers on the “Tiantianxiangxiang” platform alone has reached more than 100,000, and more than 5,000 historical merchant accounts have been docked.

Wang Fei believes that the current “underground bank” crimes mainly present the following characteristics:

-business format Upgrade fast. From version 1.0 using black mobile phone cards and bank black cards to build money laundering “waterhouses”, to version 2.0’s “aggregated payment” with multiple QR codes in one, to version 3.0’s false cross-border trade pair flushing of white funds, to The 4.0 version of the QR code “run points”, and then to the 5.0 version of the digital currency “run points” involved in this case, it takes only a few years, especially the combination of blockchain technology and real crimes, which brings traditional investigation concepts and experience Great impact.