E-comm, online payments being abused for terror financing: FATF

The FATF report flagged that terrorists have been abusing e-commerce platforms and online marketplaces for their operational procurement

- OUR CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: Global terror financing watchdog FATF on Tuesday cited the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack, which killed 40 CRPF personnel, and the 2022 Gorakhnath Temple incident to say that e-commerce platforms and online payment services are being misused for terror financing.

In its 'Comprehensive Update on Terrorist Financing Risks', the FATF also flagged 'state sponsorship of terrorism' and said a variety of publicly available sources of information and delegations' inputs to this report indicate that "certain terrorist organisations have been and continue to receive financial and other forms of support from several national governments".

"Delegations reported on this trend by referring to the use of state sponsorship for TF (terror financing) either as a fundraising technique or as part of the financial management strategy of the certain organisations engaging in terrorist acts. Several forms of support have been reported, including direct financial support, logistical and material support, or the provision of training," the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said.