FINTRAC Publishes Extortion Money Laundering Indicators for South Asian Diaspora

FINTRAC publishes money laundering indicators related to extortion

News release

April 23, 2026 — Ottawa

FINTRAC published today a new Special Bulletin on money laundering associated with extortion directed at Canada’s South Asian diaspora to help businesses subject to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (the Act) detect extortion and report suspicious transactions and listed person or entity property reports to the Centre.

Extortion is a serious criminal activity that poses a significant threat to Canadians, Canadian businesses and Canadian communities and generates substantial profits for organized crime that are often laundered through the financial system. For some Canadians and Canadian businesses, extortion has become an unacceptable reality of everyday life – one that brings fear, intimidation and violence to families and communities, fundamentally undermining Canadians’ sense of safety.

With the reporting that FINTRAC receives from businesses subject to the Act, the Centre is able to generate actionable financial intelligence in support of the money laundering, terrorist financing and sanctions evasion investigations of Canada’s law enforcement and national security agencies.

Since the beginning of 2026, FINTRAC has generated more than 100 financial intelligence disclosures related to extortion for law enforcement agencies across Canada, well exceeding the number of extortion related disclosures in the past two years combined. These disclosures have identified more than 300 subjects and included over 63,000 financial transactions.

Quotes

“Extortion is a rising threat to the safety of Canadians, impacting more and more families and businesses. To detect, disrupt and defeat the networks behind these crimes, we launched a follow-the-money strategy that mobilizes federal resources, local police and the private sector. Through our new Countering Extortion Partnership, we’re also sharpening our information sharing and intelligence, supporting these efforts to ensure that Canadians feel safe in their communities.”

“FINTRAC is committed to supporting the Government of Canada’s determined efforts to combat extortion by providing on-the-ground expertise and assistance to law enforcement, critical financial intelligence to advance police investigations, and emerging information and strategic intelligence to help businesses detect and report suspicious transactions related to this insidious crime. By following the money and leveraging the power of financial intelligence, we can effectively target, disrupt and dismantle the organized criminal networks that profit from this illicit activity and threaten the safety Canadians.”

Quick facts

• As Canada’s financial intelligence unit and anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing supervisor, FINTRAC ensures the compliance of businesses subject to the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and generates actionable financial intelligence for Canada’s law enforcement and national security agencies.
• FINTRAC has surged support as part of the Government of Canada’s broader fight against extortion, including deploying financial intelligence officers on-the-ground to engage with law enforcement agencies across Canada and provide financial intelligence assistance and expertise to investigators.
• The Centre has also increased dedicated resources focused on generating timely and actionable financial intelligence for law enforcement to support their efforts in identifying criminal networks and advancing investigations.
• FINTRAC is supporting the Countering Extortion Partnership, including sharing new extortion related trends and typologies with major banks and credit unions and leading focused information‑sharing sessions with government, law enforcement and industry partners across the country.
• Since the beginning of 2026, FINTRAC has generated more than 100 financial intelligence disclosures related to extortion, which have identified more than 300 subjects and included over 63,000 financial transactions.
• In 2024–25, FINTRAC generated 6,236 financial intelligence disclosure packages in support of investigations of money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion and threats to the security of Canada.
• In the past year, the Centre's financial intelligence contributed to more than 200 major, resource intensive investigations as well as many hundreds of other individual investigations at the municipal, provincial and federal levels across the country, as well as internationally.
• To further strengthen coordination and advance integrated efforts to disrupt cross border criminal networks and protect local businesses and residents, the Government of Canada convened summits on extortion in Surrey, B.C. and Brampton, Ontario, bringing together federal, provincial, and municipal leaders, along with law enforcement partners, including the Canada Border Services Agency and Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Related product

• Special Bulletin on money laundering associated with extortion directed at Canada’s South Asian diaspora

Associated links

• FINTRAC Annual Report 2024–25
• News release: Government announces new measures to help protect Canadians and businesses against extortion
• Backgrounder: Establishment of a new liaison function to support efforts countering extortion
• Backgrounder: Targeted indicator profiles on laundering the proceeds of extortion
• Backgrounder: Working in partnership with the private sector to counter extortion
• Reporting suspicious transactions to FINTRAC

Contacts

Media Relations
Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada
613-716-9983
media.medias@fintrac-canafe.gc.ca

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Date Modified:

2026-04-23