[anonym29]

Geopolitics are still in play. Why would a country that has been hammered with "Western" sanctions, and is effectively engaged in a proxy war against the "West" cooperate with the "West" when it comes to law enforcement?

* Australia is part of the "West" here - ironic from a strictly geographic perspective

[johnisgood]

That is true. I wonder though, if Russian citizens do this in the US, then there is not going to be anything done about it? What if it is an American citizen? I do not expect them to be able to spend it in the US (but I may be wrong). Would they just go to Russia or somewhere else and then use the money from those bank accounts overseas and start a new life, or what? I am just trying to imagine the scenario. I have watched The Wolf of Wall Street which was quite good. I wonder how it would usually go today, and how people get away with it, because one would think today it is not easy to get away with it. I imagine if I were to scam someone, I would get in legal troubles here, in Hungary, even if I were to send it to a bank account somewhere else in another country, is this an incorrect assumption?

I am going off-topic here, because Australia is in question here, so perhaps replace my use of "US" with Australia and "American" with "Australian".

[bluGill]

It is called money laundering. Happens all the time. when it is an American (or Australian, German...) they just have multiple accounts in Russia and transfer the money around in Russia a bit before bring it back. You often lose a significant amount of money in this process.

[syrgian]

Can't the Western government strongarm the receiving bank by threatening to kick them out of SEPA/ACH/Fediwire?

[bluGill]

There is only so much you can do - you kick them out for everything and thus further cutoff the country and that in turn means you have less influence in the future.

[nilamo]

Something so major (global finances), over an issue so minor (fraud on an individual basis)? Serious organizations don't play games like that.