Increasingly, financial transaction payment text fields are being misused as a method of criminal communication or abuse, rather than for the intended purpose of transferring funds.
Payment text fields are being used by individuals and organised crime groups to communicate and facilitate serious offences. This includes stalking, harassing or threatening victims, or criminal communication to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.
This guide provides financial indicators to help financial service providers to target, detect and disrupt this activity.
Download: Financial crime guide - Preventing misuse and criminal communication through payment text fields (PDF, 398KB)
This guidance sets out how we interpret the Act, along with associated Rules and regulations. Australian courts are ultimately responsible for interpreting these laws and determining if any provisions of these laws are contravened.
The examples and scenarios in this guidance are meant to help explain our interpretation of these laws. They’re not exhaustive or meant to cover every possible scenario.
This guidance provides general information and isn't a substitute for legal advice. This guidance avoids legal language wherever possible and it might include generalisations about the application of the law. Some provisions of the law referred to have exceptions or important qualifications. In most cases your particular circumstances must be taken into account when determining how the law applies to you.