A red flag is a reason to look, not a completed report

The film on this page is titled as ten money-laundering red flags for small businesses. This article does not transcribe those ten, and it does not treat a count of ten as a legal list. Checked against AUSTRAC's suspicious matter reports page on 14 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. This page does not reproduce that guidance. AUSTRAC says one indicator on its own may not be suspicious, because there may be a legitimate reason. How you lodge is the suspicious matter report for Tranche 2. Cash kept under the line is structuring. Who owns or controls a customer is a beneficial owner. The sector map is /tranche-2.

Sector-neutral means you still apply it to your service

AUSTRAC publishes indicators for particular industries, and it also publishes common indicators that are not tied to one counter. This page stays with the common kind, so a law firm, an accounting practice, an agency, and a dealer are not handed each other's examples. The new designated services commenced on 1 July 2026. Whether you are in the regime depends on the service you provide, not on whether a flag feels familiar from a bank advertisement. If you do not provide a designated service, a flag on someone else's file does not enrol you. If you do, your program says what you monitor and when you escalate.

Use the film as a prompt for staff who are new to the language. Then come back to the questions below, which follow the shape of AUSTRAC's common indicators without copying them out. A flag is a question, recorded in your words. It is not a score you can buy, and it is not a finding that a crime has occurred.

Questions worth writing down

• Who is the customer, really? They will not say who they act for, or the person who gives instructions is not the person on the engagement.
• Does the story stay still? The purpose, the source of funds, or the identity documents change when you ask a second time.
• Does the activity match what you know? The amount, the speed, or the complexity has no apparent economic purpose for this customer.
• Why is it in pieces? Amounts are arranged so that each one sits under $10,000, with no reason you can record. That pattern has its own page. This one does not explain how to do it.
• Can you see the owner? The structure hides the individual who owns 25% or more or who controls the customer.
• Does the place fit? The customer wants to transact with a jurisdiction your program has assessed as higher risk, or you cannot complete the sanctions check your program requires.

AUSTRAC's page says you look at the customer's risk, whether the behaviour matches the profile, the identity and the source of funds or wealth, whether a third party is giving instructions, and whether there is a legitimate reason. You then decide if you suspect on reasonable grounds. The clocks published on that reporting guidance are 24 hours for a terrorism-financing suspicion and 3 business days after the day you form other suspicions. You do not warn the customer that you are considering a report. If you are unsure whether the service is designated, read /tranche-2 and get advice on the service. This page will not decide that for you.

Where this page stops

This page is the sector-neutral pause. The two deposit patterns with their own names are smurfing and cuckoo smurfing. A low-transparency place is tax havens and money laundering. The plain definition is what money laundering is.

What your client pays

On FreeAML you pay $0 for the suite. You email your client a link. Verification is client-pays. On the public list a personal KYC check is $20 and a company or trust KYB check is $40. There is no subscription. Confirm the live amounts on FreeAML pricing. FreeAML does not score a red flag and does not lodge your report.

Frequently Asked Questions