As reported previously, the Lithuanian Financial Crime Investigation Service (FCIS) has imposed a record fine on the payment processor Payeer, totaling nearly €9.3 million, for significant breaches of international sanctions and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. This development corroborates FinTelegram's previous investigations into Payeer's Russian connections and its role in laundering money for scammers, further solidifying FinTelegram's reputation as a leading financial intelligence provider.
The Russian-controlled high-risk payment processor Payeer has been on our radar since 2021. Since then, the operating companies behind the payment facilitator have changed several times. We have also discovered Payeer to be a facilitator of scams during this time. Currently, Payeer is one of the payment facilitators for the (interconnected) offshore broker schemes Pocket Option and PO Trade, alongside Advcash and Perfect Money. Here is our latest update.
Over the last 3 years, FinTelegram exposed the Russian-controlled crypto payment processor Payeer as a payment processor for various broker scams. In January 2023, the Estonian FIU considered the revocation of Payeer's crypto license due to identified deficiencies. However, Payeer decided to renounce their license voluntarily and registered crypto service provider in Lithuania. We found more information about the related individuals and company history.
FinTelegram has reported several times about crypto payment processor Payeer which is controlled by Russian nationals. We have already discovered Payeer as a payment processor in scams several times. The Estonian FIU announced that Payeer had lost its license. The Estonian FIU exposed deficiencies, and the license would have been invalidated. However, Payeer decided to renounce their license to avoid the revocation. Now, the scheme operates with a crypto license in Lithuania!
Payment processor Payeer, which operates with an Estonian crypto license, has been on our radar since 2021, having been a facilitator in various broker scams. Until June 2022, Russian Liubov Svezhentseva was officially registered as the beneficial owner and director. After our last report, new Estonian individuals were again registered as beneficial owners and directors. We may justifiably conclude that they are acting as nominees for the real owners. Here is the update.