Florida has a colorful history as a haven for smugglers and scammers. Today, technology has provided these criminals with more sophisticated tools. To fight back, we must understand the fuel that so often drives criminality: money laundering.

When criminals sell illegal or stolen items for cash, they try to then “wash” those funds to make it appear that the money came from legitimate transactions. When scammers steal money from victims, they must hide that money quickly. Specialists in laundering money charge hefty transaction fees as a cost of doing business for criminals.

To combat money laundering, federal regulations require banks to report cash deposits of $10,000 or more. But while the bank’s…