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1. Base paper Title: Fighting Money Laundering With Statistics and Machine Learning
Modified Title: Using Machine Learning and Statistics to Combat Money Laundering
Abstract
Money laundering is a profound global problem. Nonetheless, there is little scientific
literature on statistical and machine learning methods for anti-money laundering. In this paper,
we focus on anti-money laundering in banks and provide an introduction and review of the
literature. We propose a unifying terminology with two central elements: (i) client risk profiling
and (ii) suspicious behavior flagging. We find that client risk profiling is characterized by
diagnostics, i.e., efforts to find and explain risk factors. On the other hand, suspicious behavior
flagging is characterized by non-disclosed features and hand-crafted risk indices. Finally, we
discuss directions for future research. One major challenge is the need for more public data
sets. This may potentially be addressed by synthetic data generation. Other possible research
directions include semi-supervised and deep learning, interpretability, and fairness of the
results.
Existing System
Officials from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimate that money
laundering amounts to 2.1-4% of the world economy [1]. The illicit financial flows help
criminals avoid prosecution and undermine public trust in financial institutions [2], [3], [4].
Multiple intergovernmental and private organizations assert that modern statistical and
machine learning methods hold great promise to improve anti-money laundering (AML)
operations [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]. The hope, among other things, is to identify new types of money
laundering and allow a better prioritization of AML resources. The scientific literature on
statistical and machine learning methods for AML, however, remains relatively small and
fragmented [10], [11], [12]. The international framework for AML is based on
recommendations by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) [13]. Within the framework, any
interaction with criminal proceeds practically corresponds to money laundering from a bank
perspective (regardless of intent or transaction complexity) [14]. Furthermore, the framework
requires that banks:
1) know the identity of, and money laundering risk associated with, clients, and 2)
monitor and report suspicious behavior. Note that we, to reflect FATF’s recommendations, are

2. intentionally vague about what constitutes ‘‘suspicious’’ behavior. To comply with the first
requirement, banks ask their clients about identity records and banking habits. This is known
as know-your-costumer (KYC) information and is used to construct risk profiles. The profiles
are, in turn, often used to determine intervals for ongoing due diligence, i.e., checks on KYC
information.
Drawback in Existing System
 Data Quality Issues:
ML models heavily rely on the quality and quantity of data. In the case of money
laundering, obtaining reliable labeled data can be challenging due to the covert nature
of illicit financial transactions.
Biases in the training data can lead to biased models, and incomplete or inaccurate
data can result in ineffective detection.
 Adaptability to Evolving Tactics:
Money launderers are constantly evolving their techniques to bypass detection. ML
models may struggle to adapt quickly to new and sophisticated money laundering
strategies, especially if the training data does not adequately represent these emerging
trends.
 Resource Intensiveness:
Implementing and maintaining ML systems require significant resources, including
skilled personnel, computational power, and ongoing training and updates. Many
financial institutions, especially smaller ones, may find it challenging to allocate these
resources effectively.
 Lack of Historical Data:
ML models often require historical data to learn patterns and make predictions. In the
case of new and rapidly evolving money laundering techniques, there may be limited
historical data available, making it difficult for models to accurately identify emerging
threats.

3. Proposed System
 Data Collection and Preprocessing:
Data Sources:
Collect data from various sources, including transaction records, customer profiles,
public records, and external data feeds.
Collaborate with regulatory bodies, financial institutions, and law enforcement
agencies for shared data.
Data Preprocessing:
Clean and standardize data to address quality issues.
Handle missing values and outliers appropriately.
Encode categorical variables and normalize numerical features.
 Explainability and Interpretability:
Use interpretable models where possible to enhance transparency in decision-making.
Implement techniques for explaining model predictions, such as LIME (Local
Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations) or SHAP (SHapley Additive
exPlanations).
 Scalability and Resource Management:
Design the system to be scalable, considering the potential increase in data volume
and computational demands.
Optimize resource utilization to make the system accessible to institutions of varying
sizes.
 Collaboration and Information Sharing:
Promote collaboration among financial institutions, regulatory bodies, and law
enforcement agencies for effective information sharing.
Establish protocols and frameworks for secure data exchange while respecting
privacy regulations.

4. Algorithm
 Anomaly Detection:
Purpose: Identify unusual patterns or outliers that may indicate suspicious activities.
Algorithms:
Isolation Forests: Efficient for detecting anomalies in high-dimensional data.
One-Class SVM: Suitable for identifying outliers in unlabeled data.
Local Outlier Factor (LOF): Locally-based outlier detection.
 Ensemble Methods:
Purpose: Combine predictions from multiple models to improve overall accuracy and
robustness.
Algorithms:
Random Forest Ensembles: Combining multiple decision trees.
AdaBoost: Emphasizes the weaknesses of individual models.
Stacking: Integrates predictions from multiple models with a meta-learner.
 Clustering for Customer Segmentation:
Purpose: Group customers based on their transaction behavior.
Algorithms:
K-Means or Hierarchical Clustering: Segment customers into groups for targeted
analysis.
Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM): Models clusters with flexible shapes.
Advantages
 Improved Detection Accuracy:
ML algorithms can analyze large volumes of transaction data and identify complex
patterns that may be indicative of money laundering activities. This leads to more
accurate detection compared to traditional rule-based systems.

5.  Enhanced Customer Segmentation:
ML can be used to segment customers based on their transaction behavior, allowing
financial institutions to tailor monitoring strategies to specific risk profiles. This results
in more targeted and efficient monitoring.
 Real-time Monitoring:
ML models can process data in real-time, enabling quicker detection and response to
suspicious activities. This is especially important in the context of financial
transactions, where timely intervention is crucial.
 Integration with Existing Systems:
ML systems can be integrated seamlessly with existing anti-money laundering
frameworks and systems, making it easier for financial institutions to adopt and
leverage these technologies.
Software Specification
 Processor : I3 core processor
 Ram : 4 GB
 Hard disk : 500 GB
Software Specification
 Operating System : Windows 10 /11
 Frond End : Python
 Back End : Mysql Server
 IDE Tools : Pycharm