GEOFF WHITE: Rinsed: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks

Rinsed: How Tech Fuels Money Laundering for Cartels and Cybercriminals

In 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 - Intro

01:46 - Background to Geoff's book Rinsed

03:01 - The Intersection of Technology and Money Laundering

05:56 - General Blindness in Tech Industry

08:32 - Tornado Cash, Axie Infinity and North Korean Hackers

12:55 - Backpage, CSAM, Money Laundering

17:25 - Response to the Book from Tech World

19:00 - Resilience of Cryptocurrency & Pro-Crypto US Administration

22:54 - Lack of Ability to Control Illicit Finance

26:18 - The Evolving Threat of North Korean Cybercrime

30:01 - Hushpuppi: Social Media Influencer by Day, Money Launderer by Night

33:33 - The Challenges of Crypto Traceability

37:38 - Challenges of Writing on Money Laundering

40:58 - Characters that Left a Lasting Impact

43:19 - Discovering the Story

46:03 - What's Next?

49:44 - Why Books like Rinsed are still needed

52:11 - Importance of Security

54:11 - Upcoming Projects

54:53 - Outro

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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/0241624835

Audible version: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rinsed-Cartels-Crypto-Industry-Deadliest/dp/B0CWJMSTYG/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0

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