The United Nations sounds the alarm on global financial security! On April 21, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a special report titled "Tipping Point: The Global Spread of Southeast Asia's Scam Hubs, Underground Financial Systems, and Illicit Online Markets," revealing that a cryptocurrency platform named "Haowang" (originally "Huiwang Guarantee") has become a "digital blood bank" for transnational crime.
The dark financial empire emerges
The report shows that the platform has built a complete criminal ecosystem:
User scale has exceeded 970,000, covering over 150 countries worldwide
Total virtual currency flow processed amounts to $24 billion (approximately 173 billion yuan)
Developed its own blockchain system, stablecoins, and cryptocurrency exchange
Incorporates an online gambling feature with extremely low entry barriers
Operates "invisibly" through encrypted communication tools like Telegram
Industrial upgrade of the criminal industry chain
Jeremy Douglas, UNODC representative for Southeast Asia, pointed out: "This is no longer just a money laundering tool, but a financial infrastructure supporting transnational crimes such as telecommunications fraud, online gambling, and human trafficking." The report specifically reveals that the platform completes money laundering through a "four-step process":
False identity registration
Mixed currency transactions
Stablecoin value anchoring
Withdrawal under the guise of legitimate business
Global risk landscape expansion
The criminal network has penetrated three high-risk areas:
Africa: Zambia and Nigeria have become fund transfer stations
Middle East: Dubai Free Zone is being misused
Pacific Islands: Tonga and Vanuatu now have "shell company clusters"
The race between regulation and technology
Facing the upgrading of criminal methods, UNODC proposes three countermeasures:
Establish a transnational cryptocurrency asset tracking alliance
Strengthen the licensing system for virtual currency service providers (VASP)
Develop AI-driven on-chain fund analysis tools
It is noteworthy that after the crackdown on telecom fraud parks in Myanmar in 2023, the platform's fund turnover increased by 35%, showing the crime group's strong adaptability. Currently, countries like China and Singapore have listed this platform on their financial risk warning lists.
