The Financial Action Task Force of Latin America (GAFILAT) issued a public warning that its name is being misused for fraudulent or illegitimate purposes, including approaches to individuals seeking international fund transfers that demand payment of fictitious “service fees” and threaten to block funds if the fees are not paid. GAFILAT also flagged recent offers of purported “FATF asset recovery services” that charge victims to recover stolen funds, and clarified that it has no investigative function, does not intervene in individual cases, and cannot seize or confiscate funds. The alert notes that scams may use seemingly official letterheads with FATF or GAFILAT logos, include real or fictitious senior-official signatures, and even reference legitimate web addresses to appear credible. GAFILAT also reported cases involving email or caller ID spoofing and WhatsApp profiles using its logo, as well as the creation of fake publications or websites falsely presented as connected to FATF or GAFILAT. It emphasised that it does not provide the services described in these messages, does not contact members of the public about specific financial transactions, does not supervise transactions, does not request fees, and has no ability to block accounts, and it advised recipients to end contact immediately and report any loss or suspected money laundering or fraud to local police or the relevant national authorities.

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