Criminal Gangs Are Reportedly Using Spotify to Launder Money in Sweden

A new report from the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet has revealed that criminal gangs are using Spotify streaming fraud to launder money.

The report claims that Swedish gang members are converting money they've made through crime, like drug deals and assassinations, into Bitcoin, and then using that crypto to purchase fake Spotify streams for songs by artists associated with their gangs. Those streams, in turn, rake in more money.

Four gang members and a police officer confirmed that Swedish gangs and criminals have been using this method since 2019. "I can say with 100% certainty that this goes on. I have been involved in it myself," one source admitted. "We have paid people who have done this for us systematically."

One of the anonymous gang members added, "It's about more than buying streams. If you're a network and you want to attract kids and you have a rapper who's going big, that's half the job for you. It is very good for recruiting purposes."

The police officer said he contacted Spotify about similar criminal activity in 2021 but never heard back, adding, "Spotify has become a bank machine for the gangs." He also said, "There's a direct link to the gangs and the deadly violence."

In a statement, a Spotify representative claimed that the company has "no evidence that money laundering occurred via Spotify" and that "less than one percent of all streams on Spotify have been determined to be tampered with." Though fake streams and fraud accusations have been a problem on the platform for years.

In another statement, published by the London newspaper City A.M., Spotify said, through a spokesperson, "It is our belief that this story, full of anonymized sources, is largely a work of fiction."

The Messenger has reached out to Spotify for comment.