Financial crime is no longer hidden in bank ledgers or buried in regulatory filings. It is unfolding in real time on social media — and criminal networks know it. Themis Search now includes Social Media Monitoring, combining Themis’s existing customer identification, screening, onboarding and monitoring capabilities with real-time insight into associated online behaviour – providing a more complete, end-to-end view of customer risk.
Today, Themis, the AI‑native anti‑financial crime and intelligence platform, announced the launch of its new Social Media Monitoring solution, designed to reveal how social media platforms are increasingly being used to facilitate fraud, illicit trade, fundraising and organised financial crime.
From encrypted posts and fake profiles to fundraising campaigns masquerading as charities, social media has become one of the most powerful — and least policed — tools in the criminal playbook. While regulators and institutions still rely heavily on static checks and delayed reporting, the real-time nature of social media means that indicators of criminal activity often surface online long before they are detected through conventional monitoring systems.
“Research conducted by Themis shows state‑linked actors and transnational organised crime groups using social platforms to spread propaganda, recruit informants & money mules, sell illicit goods, manipulate identities, and move funds outside the traditional financial system — sometimes in plain sight.” said Dickon Johnstone CEO of Themis. “Firms must continuously evolve their risk monitoring capabilities to stay ahead of emerging criminal techniques.”
The war in the Middle East provides a live example of this in action. A recent report published by Themis titled “Disinformation in times of conflict” highlights the role social media plays in Iran’s offensive toolkit. One of the fastest trends on social media currently are the Lego style videos being developed by Iran to troll President Trump.
To combat this ever-growing threat, Themis’ Social Media Monitoring solution uses AI to continuously analyse posts, images and behavioural patterns across major social platforms, screening for financial‑crime‑related red flags and keywords in real time. Content is assessed across 12 risk categories, generating behavioural and network‑based intelligence that traditional anti‑money laundering tools were never designed to capture.
“The biggest shift in financial crime is speed,” said Martin Spinks, Head of AI & Data at Themis. “By the time suspicious transactions surface, networks have often already formed, funds have moved, and harm has occurred. Social media is where those networks reveal themselves.”
Unlike adverse media checks, which rely on published reporting after harm has occurred, Themis’ platform tracks live activity and continuously updates risk profiles. This allows organisations to identify threats earlier, prioritise cases through proprietary risk scoring, and reduce reliance on staff manually monitoring social platforms, often through personal accounts.
Designed for compliance, risk and investigation teams across financial services, legal and corporate sectors, the Social Media Monitoring tool forms part of Themis’ wider AI‑powered platform for tackling financial crime in a fast‑moving, digital world.
Themis is a pioneer in the use of AI and human intelligence in the fight against Financial Crimes. A certified B-Corp dedicated to stopping the deliberate exploitation of people, businesses and the natural world. With offices in London, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai and Riyadh, Themis works with clients globally across both the public and private sector. Its flagship platform, Themis Search, combines advanced AI with investigative intelligence to make financial crime detection more effective, accessible and impactful.
Themis is on the ground and monitoring the situation in the Middle East and emerging financial crime risks related to the conflict: A library of recent conflict related intelligence briefings can be found here.
