NEWS: UK’s FCA watchdog highlights sharp rise in ‘money mules’

Regulatory Watch News

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  New Summaries for Sanctions Regimes

  UK Government

  March 25, 2026

  To make guidance on UK sanctions regimes clearer and more accessible, we’ve published summaries of prohibitions under each regime. These new summaries will enable readers to see an overview of what sanctions apply in a regime. Each summary gives a quick overview of the sanctions in place under the regime, covering, where applicable:

  • the regime’s scope
  • what applies to designated persons and specified ships
  • wider financial and trade sanctions
  • sanctions on goods and services
  • additional sanction types

  Regime summaries are not comprehensive and are not a replacement for the statutory guidance or the regulations themselves.

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  NCA and National Federation of Builders launch campaign to protect against invoice fraud in construction

  National Crime Agency

  March 25, 2026

  The National Crime Agency (NCA) and National Federation of Builders (NFB) have launched a joint campaign aimed at accounts payable professionals and finance personnel in the construction industry that highlights the risks of invoice fraud, a crime that costs businesses millions each year. Invoice fraud is one of the most common and costly forms of financial crime affecting individuals, families and businesses. The construction industry is especially vulnerable to invoice fraud because it relies on complex supply chains often involving contractors, sub-contractors, consultants and suppliers, frequent high value payments and reliance on emails to communicate payment instructions which criminals can compromise.

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  Central Mediterranean: 10 migrant smugglers targeted

  Europol

  March 25, 2026

  On 18 and 19 March 2026, Europol hosted a digital action day under a dedicated Joint Team targeting migrant smugglers operating along the Central Mediterranean route. More than 30 experts from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and the Office of the Prosecutor - International Criminal Court (OTP-ICC) took part, together with Europol and online investigators from the Europol-coordinated DiGiNeX network.