Rightmove and FCS Compliance have announced the latest in their series of anti-money laundering (AML) webinars which are free to Rightmove members and taking place in the morning and afternoon of Thursday 25 January.

‘Staying ahead of HMRC’s Money Laundering Crackdown’ is an hour-long live session led by Malcolm Driscoll, lead AML consultant at FCS Compliance. This is the fourth year that FCS Compliance has been working in collaboration with Rightmove in providing AML webinars for its members.

More than 1,000 agents have already signed up to the morning session which begins at 10.00 am on Thursday 25 January.  Due to its popularity, and to give more agents the chance to attend and have their questions answered, a second webinar covering the same content and led by Malcom Driscoll, will be hosted on the Rightmove Hub in the afternoon, starting at 12.00 pm.

HMRC is steadily increasing its on-site inspections at estate agent branches and this latest webinar is aimed at ensuring Money Laundering Reporting Officers (MLROs) are fully up to speed on their AML compliance obligations should an inspection occur.

In addition to being able to put questions directly to Malcom Driscoll, the webinar will cover:

+ The role and responsibility of the MLRO/Deputy MLRO/Nominated Officer

+ An update on recent and initial key findings of HMRC inspections

+ The latest observations from the front line and what you should be looking out for

Driscoll, who spent more than 40 years in the police investing complex fraud and money laundering cases, said: “In 2023 estate agents dominated the list of business not complying with money laundering regulations.  The industry as a whole received fines totalling £3.2m, while specific businesses suffered untold reputational damage.”  He added, “In many cases this could have been avoided.  Getting up to speed with your AML obligations should be a priority for all.”

The afternoon webinar will begin at 12pm, and Rightmove agents wanting to attend the afternoon session can register on the Rightmove hub here.