The Basics of Money Laundering: Explained
Have you ever done money laundering? No? Well this shit is pretty fun, and simple. Let's say you come to me one day with a briefcase full of cash from not so legal activities. Now if you deposit this money into a bank, they're gonna start asking questions about where it came from, and these red flags might even get a certain someone involved. That sounds bad. It is. Now since we can't tell the IRS that we got all of this money from these activities, we'll tell them that that income came from a legal business, like a bakery.
But I don't have a bakery. That's why we need to create one. And to make it seem legit, we can buy an empty store, hire staff, and even serve real customers. Remember, the more proof you have that it's legit, the better chances you have of not being caught. What happens after that? Well now, we just built a legit business that gives us clean money. What we're gonna do is take our not-so-legal business that gives us dirty money and mix the two revenues together. What do you mean by mixing them?
Well, if we get $10 from the bakery and $20 from the not-so-legal activities, we're going to tell the bank and the government that our bakery made $30 instead of $10. Isn't that illegal? When's that ever stopped us? Now the government thinks that the entire $30 came from the bakery, which means we can deposit any amount of money we like without raising any red flags. Don't try this at home.
The Basics of Money Laundering: Explained
Have you ever done money laundering? No? Well this shit is pretty fun, and simple. Let's say you come to me one day with a briefcase full of cash from not so legal activities. Now if you deposit this money into a bank, they're gonna start asking questions about where it came from, and these red flags might even get a certain someone involved. That sounds bad. It is. Now since we can't tell the IRS that we got all of this money from these activities, we'll tell them that that income came from a legal business, like a bakery.
But I don't have a bakery. That's why we need to create one. And to make it seem legit, we can buy an empty store, hire staff, and even serve real customers. Remember, the more proof you have that it's legit, the better chances you have of not being caught. What happens after that? Well now, we just built a legit business that gives us clean money. What we're gonna do is take our not-so-legal business that gives us dirty money and mix the two revenues together. What do you mean by mixing them?
Well, if we get $10 from the bakery and $20 from the not-so-legal activities, we're going to tell the bank and the government that our bakery made $30 instead of $10. Isn't that illegal? When's that ever stopped us? Now the government thinks that the entire $30 came from the bakery, which means we can deposit any amount of money we like without raising any red flags. Don't try this at home.
Storytelling format: The creator explains money laundering in a clear, narrative style. Instead of using academic language, he takes a casual, even humorous tone, making a complex topic easy to understand for a broad audience.
Taboo topic and controversy: Talking openly and casually about a crime naturally sparks shock, curiosity, and emotion — and that always performs well with TikTok’s algorithm. Controversial content tends to get shared widely.
Presentation style: Fast editing, dynamic narration, and a balance between seriousness and humor keep viewers engaged all the way through.
“Forbidden fruit” effect: The creator ends the video by saying “don’t try this at home,” which ironically makes it even more intriguing — as if the content is “illegal” or “forbidden,” which only increases its appeal.
What are people saying in the comments?
Humor and memes: Many users respond with ironic jokes like “So I just need to open a bakery, got it,” or “Breaking Bad 2.0.” Some treat it like a scene from a TV show.
Shock and disbelief: Others are surprised the video was even allowed on the platform: “Is this even legal to post?” or “TikTok really lets this kind of stuff fly?” reflecting viewers’ amazement at how openly the topic was discussed.
Curiosity and education: Some viewers admit they never really understood how money laundering worked until now — “This actually makes sense now.” Others ask for more “lessons” about how the underground financial world works.
The video went viral because it combined a controversial topic, simple language, dynamic execution, and a hint of “forbidden knowledge.” It strikes a perfect balance between education and sensationalism — and that’s exactly what tends to go viral on TikTok.
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