Cyber-Laundering: The Union Between New Electronic Payment Systems and Criminal Organizations

Cosa Nostra, ‘Ndrangheta, Camorra, Sacra Corona Unita, Stidda, Triad, Yacuza, Russian Mafia, American Cosa Nostra, Chinese Triads, Wo Hop To, Sun Yee On, 14 K, these are only some of the criminal organizations considered as the “magnates” (particularly with the meaning in power) of national and international crime and/or organized criminality. Together with the aforementioned criminal organizations, we may consider many other organizations, particularly those of the terroristic type which, although having different characteristic activities as opposed to the former, share the same modalities of financing and/or laundering of the gains deriving from the activities carried out. Studies and research, but mainly financial police operations, have often brought out the channels, systems and modalities, by means of which great amounts of money of criminal origin or destined to criminality are cleaned up and/or introduced into the financial circuits.