November

Uber recently had its licence to operate in London pulled by Transport for London (TfL) after it was found to “fail to report alleged criminal offences carried out by its drivers and a lax attitude towards background checks and obtaining medical certificates”.
 
In early September, it was found that up to 13,000 Uber drivers had insufficient background checks and some were obtaining falsified medical certificates.
 
The company has the right to appeal and can continue to operate until it has exhausted the appeals process. As a result, 40,000 drivers could lose their jobs.

On 26 October 2017, the Treasury published an update to the National Risk Assessment (NRA) of money laundering and terrorist financing.

The NRA is the Government's assessment of the key Money Laundering (ML) and terrorist financing threats facing the UK including the susceptibility of the sectors to money laundering and terrorist financing.

Key findings from the report include:
- the criminal exploitation of banks, professional and financial services and cash remain the greatest areas of money laundering risk to the UK
- cash remains the preferred method for terrorists to move funds through and out of the country
- a wide-ranging set of reforms by the government, like introducing the ability to investigate suspicious asset trails and to crack down on illicit finance over recent years are starting to take effect.

We encourage firms to review the document alongside other guidance such as the FCA Guide for Firms and JMLSG with a view to understanding how the risks identified could have an impact on them.

Marketplace has revealed that fake diplomas are a billion-dollar industry, with more than 800 Canadians purchasing a fake degree through Pakistan-based IT firm Axact.

Former FBI agent Allen Ezell investigated diploma mills for decades and estimates that half of new PhDs issued each year in the Unites States are fake.

The effects are twofold: First, devaluing legitimate degrees and second, putting the public at risk when they are in the hands of professionals who lack the proper skills and expertise.

An undercover operation revealed that the total cost to receive three PhDs, transcripts and a record of attendance papers is just $1,550. There are more than 100 fake online schools and accreditation bodies connected to Axact.