To think DP is being used by so called "friend"

@Queenjuliana This is a bit anoraky and long but I feel you should be aware:

FSMA 2000 defines financial crime as any offence involving - Fraud, dishonesty, misconduct in or misuse of information relating to a financial market or handling the proceeds of crime.

If we go with the example that the GFM page potentially has donations from criminal activity, this would be considered 'placement' (how criminal money is mixed with regular funds) and then the money is invested/reinvested in various different accounts, properties, assets or schemes, over and over again, making it hard to trace (layering) and then integration where the money ends up in ordinary/legal transactions. A GFM page can be used for the placement and then integration elements of this definition and I'm sure they have many rules/regulations in place to reduce/stop potential of Money Laundering.

If there is a strong potential that the GFM page has received proceeds of crime (individual donations from anonymous people) then you and your DH are involved and you must acknowledge the suspicion of money laundering activity. The law only requires you to report on a 'reasonable suspicion' - you do not have to KNOW; only suspect.

Acquiring - using or having possession of property which you know OR SUSPECT are the proceeds of crime
Arranging - entering into or becoming concerned in an arrangement which you KNOW or SUSPECT facilities the use of criminal property
Concealing - disguising, converting or transferring from the UK, property which is the proceeds of crime.

So your DH would be guilty of acquiring (by taking the money from the GFM page), guilty of arranging (having been instructed by his friend to do something and guilty of concealing by converting the £ to euro and transferring it out of the UK.

This is all under the proviso that the GFM donations include criminal proceeds which you do not KNOW, but you could SUSPECT.

Failing to report suspicions could be 5 years imprisonment and unlimited fines. Tipping off someone is up to 2 years imprisonment with unlimited fines (this means if your DH were to say to his friend 'I don't want to do this for you anymore because I think money laundering is involved' as he has alerted his friend that people may be aware of criminal activity)
Assisting in Money Laundering - up to 14 years imprisonment and unlimited fines.

So your DH could (if proven that the GFM page has criminal funds) get 14 years for assisting and you could get 5 years for failing to report. All because you SUSPECTED but didn't KNOW and failed to report it.

I acknowledge that all this is very hypothetical and in the scheme of things, very unlikely but you really don't want to be fucking around with Anti Money Laundering shit.

If this was my husband I'd be contacting GFM to tell them you think your husband is being conned claiming early Alzheimer's.

When the police come they'll confiscate phones find this thread @Queenjuliana won't be able to deny all knowledge then.

She could phone family solicitors for advice too.

As well as the possibility that he's involving himself in funding terrorism (remote, I think, but you can't rule it out), there's the larger risk that he's involved funding drug dealing - which also has significant legal consequences.

The flying in and out in 24 hours is another red flag to security at both ends. I know a builder who went to prison for bringing tobacco back from Tenerife.

Look what happened to the postmasters.

Also

Queenjuliana · Today 00:11
I know, you think that would compute, but he cant get it thru his skull.

Pick a lane @Queenjuliana He is either thick ("can't get it through his skull" means thick) or not.

I know which lane I am in. Mr Billy Big-Balls with a white saviour complex as the ONLY person that can help 🙄

From the advice from HMRC website overleaf, DP has to declare it on his tax returns because it’s treated as taxable income. By law you have to declare crowdfunding income.

A gift could also affect benefits entitlement of the ultimate recipient - which may be their aim.

@Queenjuliana since your partner is named as setting up the GFM on behalf of this individual then he is fiscally accountable to give the money to her. Anything else would be fraud. Not benefit fraud. Fraud, accountable to uk police since the crime is being committed in UK.
he must have proof that he gives her the money. If he doesn’t and collects cash and tries to do this anonymously then he is incredibly stupid and setting himself up for being accused of committing a crime punishable by jail time. He’s an idiot.

This is a bit different -in the late 1980's I worked as a teller at Wells Fargo Bank. A customer came in to deposit $9,900 US dollars. After he left the head teller told me they know he is up to no good, likely a drug dealer, and he comes in every day to deposit $9,900. She told me we never report him because it's always under $10,000. Criminals know how to circumvent such arbitrary rules.

Just because you don’t have to preemptively fill in the +€10k paperwork, DOES NOT exempt you from being questioned on why you’re carrying large sums of money abroad, then leaving the country the following day. He doesn’t have to fill in the forms, but border security can still pull you aside and ask questions. Having under €10k does not exempt you from the questions.

“My friend wants me to deliver untraceable cash to him in-person, as a bank transfer would be traceable. No worries…it’s under €10k, so it’s all above board.”

And when he gets stopped at customs and they say why are you taking 7k in cash to Germany and flying back the next day? What is he going to say?

True, you don’t have to declare it. But the act of making €10,000 “untraceable” by giving it to someone else, and asking them to fly the cash abroad, IS money laundering. Money laundering IS illegal, even if it is under €10,000. There is no “you can money launder up to €10,000 before you’re prosecuted” law.

As long as it is less than 10,000 Euros you don't have to declare it. I read on several different websites that gifts of cash from Europeans to people living in the UK is not taxable.

https://www.litrg.org.uk/tax-nic/income-tax/working-out-what-taxable/gifts-and-loans#:~:text=You%20do%20not%20pay%20tax,you%20earn%20on%20that%20account

https://irak.diplo.de/resource/blob/1095904/895f918be3dcc930b1284481339cf439/merkblatt-barmittel-en-data.pdf

No. RTFT.

This. Do not drive him to/collect him from the airport, Do not go to Waitrose/drive him when he collects the euros. Do not go with him to the bank to collect the pounds. Do not allow that money to touch a joint account. I hope his flight was not paid for his a joint account. Keep well out of this. Being by an accessory to money that is being flown across Europe to “become untraceable” is no joke. It’s called money laundering. Same for the HMRC tax implications—sounds like DP is going to try to evade tax on this one. Stay well clear (although I’m pretty sure GFM will automatically inform HMRC, so he’ll receive a bill).

It's income, so must be declared as such.

Good luck explaining that to HMRC. I’m sure they@“” be super-impressed by the “I was making the money untraceable” part of the story.

Like I said upthread, my BIL did similar, ended up with a prison sentence, and got struck off from his high-earning profession. Good luck to your DP. Money laundering and tax evasion is no joke. Even if you’re a high-earning, upstanding member of society, the law still allows applies to you.

It is but I think anyone rational is thinking the two of you will face fraud, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and possible terrorism related charges. You might both go to prison as you now know a crime is being committed and have helped commission it. Naive is agreeing, stupid is ignoring every single piece of advice. This is possibly the most serious crime I have seen queried in AIBU and I think many posters are frustrated you don't see how serious this could be.

We know someone who raised £45,000 for help with cancer treatment, seemed so genuine, but she's now in prison for scamming us all! Had the hospital photo on her GFM page too, which was set up by her mother (who also didn't know she wasn't really ill!) She was so convincing.
This absolutely sounds like a scam to me.

Have you run through a likely conversation with him at security when this shows up on baggage scanners?
Why have you got this much cash sir?
Is it your own money?
Why couldn't you just do a bank transfer?
etc, but this last question is the one I think he'll get stuck on explaining without it sounding dodgy (because it is).

I'm from a family of naive, kindhearted people and can totally imagine this whole scenario so you have my sympathy.

Are you sure you want to stay with someone who refuses to listen to any common sense, steadfastly ignores any input or concerns you have, because of some pathological need to people please?

It's gifted income, not earned income so I would think tax free.

All I have to add is if I were you, I would make sure that you and your name, your bank accounts, vehicle, anything, are kept out if it completely. If this is an iilegal act, and he is arrested you do not want to also be implicated in any way. Good luck.