GEOFF WHITE: Rinsed: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks | Underworlds with Mark Shaw

Rinsed: How Tech Fuels Money Laundering for Cartels and CybercriminalsIn this episode of Underworlds, host Mark interviews journalist and author Geoff White about his book, Rinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks. Discover how cybercriminals exploit platforms like Axie Infinity, Call of Duty, Backpage, and Tornado Cash to launder illicit funds.White delves into notorious figures like Nigerian influencer Hushpuppi, whose lavish lifestyle collapsed after laundering millions for North Korea’s Lazarus Group, infamous for massive heists like the Bangladesh Bank cyberattack, Axie Infinity hack, and the $1.5 billion Bybit Ethereum heist. With years of expertise in cyber and financial crime, White exposes the tech industry’s blind spots in tackling money laundering.Tune in to explore Rinsed, the Lazarus Group’s global schemes, and the challenges of investigating cybercrime.Timecodes:0:00 - Intro01:46 - Background to Geoff's book Rinsed03:01 - The Intersection of Technology and Money Laundering05:56 - General Blindness in Tech Industry08:32 - Tornado Cash, Axie Infinity and North Korean Hackers12:55 - Backpage, CSAM, Money Laundering17:25 - Response to the Book from Tech World19:00 - Resilience of Cryptocurrency & Pro-Crypto US Administration22:54 - Lack of Ability to Control Illicit Finance26:18 - The Evolving Threat of North Korean Cybercrime30:01 - Hushpuppi: Social Media Influencer by Day, Money Launderer by Night33:33 - The Challenges of Crypto Traceability37:38 - Challenges of Writing on Money Laundering40:58 - Characters that Left a Lasting Impact43:19 - Discovering the Story46:03 - What's Next?49:44 - Why Books like Rinsed are still needed52:11 - Importance of Security54:11 - Upcoming Projects54:53 - Outro====================================================Geoff White's book ‘Rinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks’ is available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rinsed-Cartels-Crypto-Industry-Deadliest/dp/0241624835Audible version: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rinsed-Cartels-Crypto-Industry-Deadliest/dp/B0CWJMSTYG/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0====================================================Underworlds with Mark Shaw Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSX1Xu1kM0ss7EEqXOflp3d-lZw4LfIe ====================================================📱 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@UCP-lqJdhM-9iDKkswuVcXZA 🌎 VISIT US! Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime - https://globalinitiative.net/ 🎧Audio version: https://link.chtbl.com/7c27X1CM🎧WHY NOT TRY OUR OTHER PODCASTS: 🎧Deep Dive: Exploring Organized Crime - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSX1Xu1kM0spSX0QUq7j0NmIZOqyDTZQ 🎧The Index - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSX1Xu1kM0uc_4CftGl8PrwHA3IK5WeI===================================================FOLLOW USX - @gitocLinkedIn - @Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime IG - @gi_toc ===================================================