Global Scans · Crime · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Crime is morphing away from traditional methods to more sophisticated technological approaches. A decline of traditional hierarchical criminal groups and networks will be accompanied by the expansion of a virtual criminal underground made up of individual criminal entrepreneurs. At the same time, forward-looking agencies are equipping themselves with smart technologies to outfox the criminals. Keep up to date with crime changes below.

• [New] Global cyber threats 2026 increasingly sit in that gray zone between criminal activity and acts of war. Security Journal Americas
• [New] AUSTRAC has indicated a continued focus on digital currency businesses and cash-intensive sectors that present heightened money laundering risks, and targeted enforcement is likely in response to the potential misuse of AI to facilitate money laundering and related financial crime. Australian Compliance Institute
• [New] Recent developments across the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Australia, and Asia highlight increased scrutiny around sanctions evasion, digital assets, AI governance, and cross-border financial crime risks. FinScan
• [New] The UK's Financial Conduct Authority has cautioned that AI is accelerating the scale and speed of financial crime, posing threats to national security and economic stability. Yahoo Finance
• [New] Geopolitical tensions, transnational crime, and cyber threats pose risks to Australia's security and economic interests. Cyber Daily
• [New] Unfortunately, for the time being at least, the nature of the threat environment Australia faces - both criminal and geopolitically driven - requires a reactive stance informed by a broad policy that has been laid down and is now being iterated upon by stakeholders both public and private. Cyber Daily
• [New] Another potential clue was the nature of the attacks, which was familiar to European security services, who have reported for several years that Iran has relied on criminal networks to recruit low-level disposable operatives motivated by the opportunity to earn relatively small amounts of money. The Guardian
• [New] In Australia, it could be a criminal offence to pay an attacker that is designated under the autonomous cyber sanctions law. The Guardian
• [New] Drug trafficking organizations and associated criminal groups pose a persistent and dangerous threat to communities across the United States. The White House
• [New] More than 40% of Korean police officers had a high risk of PTSD. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Exchanges with the US made it possible to demonstrate categorically that Cuba does not constitute a threat to US national security, nor are there any legitimate reasons to include it on the list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism. The Guardian
• [New] X said it will review and assess terrorist and hate content in the UK on average within 24 hours of it being reported, or at the very least, it will do so for 85% of hate content within a maximum of 48 hours. Engadget
• [New] Under commitments accepted by Ofcom, X said it will review and assess reports of suspected illegal terrorist and hate content from UK users within an average of 24 hours, with at least 85% handled within 48 hours through its dedicated UK reporting channel. theregister
• [New] The Islamic Republic's terrorism exports and missile force have posed as great a threat to European security as they have to American and Israeli security. Hudson Institute
• [New] In recent years, cyber security, resilience, and uplift of national defence when it comes to a dangerous and broadening threat landscape of criminal hackers and state-based actors have featured heavily in Australia's federal budget. Cyber Daily
• [New] Spreading criminal activity, developments in neighboring Colombia, and US attention on drug trafficking will affect Noboa's ability to curb rising violence. Acled
• [New] Drones have been spotted flying over Louisiana chemical facilities and a pipeline over the past year and a half, prompting a warning on Thursday about the potential for espionage and terrorism at critical infrastructure facilities. Federal Register
• [New] The global threat of terrorism and violent extremism remains significant and evolving. International Centre for Counter-Terrorism - ICCT
• [New] Retaliatory terrorist attacks could occur at any time in Pakistan. Travel.gc.ca
• [New] London's top cop is warning that British Jews are facing the most serious threats yet as police probe a shadowy Iran-linked group taking credit for spree of antisemitic attacks. New York Post
• [New] Four simultaneous crises - Iran/Hormuz escalation, Russian hybrid warfare at record tempo, a domestic terrorism resurgence, and chronic defence funding gaps - are interacting to produce systemic risk. Daily Intelligence Brief
• [New] Neighboring countries face heightened risks of terrorist spillover, with a jihadist-controlled Mogadishu potentially igniting renewed attacks across frontiers. HORN REVIEW
• [New] The US is separately studying the designation of Brazilian factions Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital as foreign terrorist organizations, a designation that Brazilian authorities and most independent specialists consider a sovereignty risk. The Rio Times

Last updated: 23 May 2026