Skip to content

Appropriate Use of Communication Channels

Not all communication channels are appropriate for business purposes.

Firms are facing intense scrutiny over their use of unapproved and ephemeral messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, Signal, Snapchat and Telegram.

Learn the best practices and keep yourself up to date with the latest developments so that you can protect yourself and your firm.
Start your trial Course details
  • 10 Minutes
  • All staff
  • Based on UK legislation, but suitable for global audiences upon the removal of UK-specific references and translation as necessary.

Learning objectives

  • Distinguish which activities classify as 'in-scope' and therefore must be recorded
  • Recognise which communication channels and apps are permitted for business use - and which ones are not
  • Act appropriately if you find yourself in an unrecorded or potentially compromised conversation
  • Be professional when communicating with clients, colleagues and counterparties
  • Act appropriately in an emergency or as part of an approved Business Continuity Process

    What can you expect your employees to learn?

Welcome

Why record communications?

  • What is in scope?
  • What gets recorded?
  • How to stay compliant and conduct business on approved systems
 

The consequences of getting it wrong

  • Crossing the line
  • Best practice: Dos
  • Best practice: Don'ts
 

Scenario: The price check

  • Scenario: The group chat
  • Scenario: The WhatsApp call
  • Scenario: The LinkedIn message
 

Summary

Affirmation

Assessment

Start your compliance e-learning journey with a free trial

Our no-obligation free trial gives you access to our libraries and compliance platform. 

Ready to start your free trial? Complete the form, and a member of the Skillcast team will be in touch with further details.

Your questions, answered

Financial Crime

Common FAQs

How can I log and track incidents of financial crime in my organisation?

Our Compliance Breach Register allows you to securely log and monitor incidents of financial crime, such as bribery or money laundering. The tool enables you to track resolution progress and maintain a clear audit trail, ensuring accountability and compliance with regulatory requirements.

How can I ensure my employees understand and comply with our internal policies in relation to financial crime?

Our Policy Hub enables you to distribute policies such as your Anti-Money Laundering (AML) policy to employees, track acknowledgements, and send automated reminders. This ensures everyone understands their obligations and helps you maintain compliance with financial crime regulations.
.

Are Skillcast courses SCORM-compliant?

Yes. This means they can be delivered via the Skillcast Portal or any other SCORM-compliant Learning Management System.

What other tools are needed beyond training?

A comprehensive compliance solution often needs more than just training. Alongside e-learning, tools like declarations, surveys, and registers that track compliance tasks are usually essential. Skillcast provides full support to help you set up these additional tools.

Is our training content still compliant with the latest legislation?

  • You can check the latest course content updates in our library updates page: https://www.skillcast.com/compliance-course-library-updates
  • For major legislative changes, we:
    • Will send you email alerts to ensure you are notified
    • Offer you a free trial of newly created or updated content
    • Host webinars with compliance experts to explain the changes and how our training supports your ongoing compliance

Can you translate our content into other languages?

Yes, we offer translations in a wide range of languages. Let us know your needs, and we’ll confirm availability or work with you to plan translations for your selected modules.

How can I give employees a secure way to record suspicious activity so we can act quickly?

Our Suspicious Activity Register allows staff to log concerns or irregularities they observe, helping you detect potential issues early. The secure register can be reviewed by compliance teams, enabling prompt investigation and action.

What file types are supported by the Skillcast system?

Features

Supported file types and details

File Exchange

File types: PDF, Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, SCORM and xAPI files, and compressed zip files. Max file size: Default is 1GB, can be increased to a max of 2GB

SCORM files

Versions: SCORM 1.2, SCORM 1.2 for Moodle, SCORM 2004 2nd, 3rd and 4th Edition. Max file size: 1024MB

xAPI file

Max file size: 2GB

Videos

File types: MP4 or MOV. Videos must be optimised, with a max file size of 100MB. If the file is bigger, our Design Team can help

Images

File types: jpg, png and gif. The file size should ideally be 100KB, but it can be up to 250KB

CPD evidence

File types: Word, PDF, Excel and CSV. File size: the limit should be whatever the portal config option is set to. Servers are set to max 2GB

Policy documents

PDF or Word File size: the limit should be whatever the portal config option is set to. Servers are set to max 2GB

Offline activities evidence

File types: PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, CSV, PNG, GIF, JPEG, JPG, PPTX and MSG. File size: the limit should be whatever the portal config option is set to. Servers are set to max 2GB

Client logo files

File types provided by client: EPS, PDF, AI and SVG

Registers

PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, CSV, PPT, PPTX, POT, PPA, PPS, JPG, JPEG, PJEPG, PNG, BMP, GIF, MP4, MOV, WMV, CPTX, CP, TXT, ZIP and MSG files

Declarations

JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, XLS and XLSX files

 

-->

Related courses

Boost your compliance efforts with our range of courses. Varying in length and topic, our courses equip you with the tools to create an ethical and resilient workplace.

Anti-Money Laundering & Counter-Terrorist Financing

To prevent criminal activity, nearly all countries in the world have committed themselves to extremely tough laws against money laundering and terrorist financing.

Read more

In-depth 30 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Anti-Money Laundering

To prevent the proceeds of crime from finding their way into the formal economy, most countries have extremely tough laws with severe penalties.

Refresher 15 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Financial Sanctions

Financial and economic sanctions are binding prohibitions applied by governments to prevent business transactions with certain designated persons.

Read more

In-depth 45 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Financial Crime Prevention

There are two kinds of financial crime.

Read more

In-depth 40 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Suspicious Activity Reporting

It is your employees' legal duty to report any knowledge or suspicion of financial crime.

Express 10 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Economic Sanctions

Violation of sanctions issued by the UN, the US and the EU which place restrictions on payments and other financial transactions can result in fines as well as criminal charges.

Refresher 15 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Embargoes and Sanctions

Embargoes and sanctions prohibit all transactions with an entity, trading of certain commodities, or supplying critical goods.

Read more

In-depth 45 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Customer Due Diligence

Customer Due diligence is a legal requirement and plays a vital role in protecting your Company.

Express 10 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Tipping Off

Tipping off a person about a money laundering or terrorist financing investigation is a criminal offence.

Express 10 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Understanding Sanctions

Bring "Understanding Sanctions" e-learning to life using animation characters and storylines.

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Money Laundering Red Flags

Bring "Money Laundering Red Flags" training to life using animation characters and storylines.

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Counter Terrorist Financing

Terrorism is a huge risk that we face in the world today and like other human activities, it requires funding.

Express 15 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Counter-Proliferation Financing

UK companies are required to tackle proliferation financing as part of their anti-money laundering and sanctions checks.

Express 10 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Third-Party Due Diligence

Due diligence plays a vital role in protecting your Company.

Express 10 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

MCOB - General Standards

The Mortgage Conduct of Business (MCOB) for General Standards applies to all firms that deal with home finance.

Read more

In-depth 40 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Ethical Standards in Finance and Investment

The FCA's ethical standards apply to individuals in finance and investment.

Read more

In-depth 40 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

BCOBS - General Standards

The FCA Banking Conduct of Business Sourcebook (BCOBS) applies to all firms that accept deposits from banking customers in the UK.

Read more

In-depth 25 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Training and Competence

Training and Competence (T&C) forms an important part of UK regulations under the FCA.

Read more

In-depth 30 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

The Three Stages of Money Laundering

Bring "The Three Stages of Money Laundering" e-learning to life using animation characters and storylines.

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Preventing Tipping Off

Bring "Preventing Tipping Off" e-learning to life using animation characters and storylines.

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

COBS - Client Categorisation

The Conduct of Business Sourcebook (COBS) applies to financial firms in the UK that deal with client investments.

Read more

In-depth 20 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Payment Services Regulations

The Payment Services Regulations (PSRs) 2017 was introduced in 2018 and set the Payment Services Directive 2 (PSD2) in motion.

Read more

In-depth 25 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Whistleblowing for Managers

Whistleblowing refers to disclosing corrupt, illegal or fraudulent activities committed by organisations.

Read more

In-depth 35 Minutes Financial Crime Managers

Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II)

The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) originally aimed to increase competition and integration in markets for financial instruments.

Read more

In-depth 45 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

COBS - Dealing and Managing

The FCA Conduct of Business Sourcebook (COBS) applies to financial firms in the UK.

Read more

In-depth 20 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Information Barriers

The flow of information in financial firms needs monitoring between businesses involved with private and public side activities.

Read more

In-depth 45 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Senior Management Arrangements Systems and Controls

The Senior Management Arrangements Systems and Controls (SYSC) Sourcebook apply to authorised financial services firms.

Read more

In-depth 25 Minutes Financial Crime Managers

Conduct Rules for Senior Managers at Dual Regulated Firms

Under the Senior Managers Regime, all senior managers must comply with the FCA's six Individual Conduct Rules (ICRs) and four Senior Managers Rules (SMRs).

Read more

In-depth 60 Minutes Financial Crime Managers

MCOB - APRC, Shortfalls and Charges

The Mortgage Conduct of Business (MCOB) for the Annual Percentage Rate of Charge (APRC), shortfalls, and charges apply to home finance businesses.

Read more

In-depth 30 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

FSCS Deposit Protection

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) safeguards customers' finances.

Read more

In-depth 20 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Complaints Handling for Managers

One of the three operational objections of the FCA is to protect consumers.

Read more

In-depth 35 Minutes Financial Crime Managers

Financial Crime Prevention (Commercial Insurance)

There are two kinds of financial crime.

Read more

In-depth 35 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Terrorist Financing Red Flags

Bring "Terrorist Financing Red Flags" training to life using animation characters and storylines.

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Understanding Terrorist Financing

Bring "Understanding Terrorist Financing" training to life using animation characters and storylines.

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Customer Due Diligence

Bring "Customer Due Diligence" training to life using animation characters and storylines.

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Enhanced Customer Due Diligence

Bring "Enhanced Customer Due Diligence" training to life using animation characters and storylines.

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Politically Exposed Persons

Bring "Politically Exposed Persons" training to life using animation characters and storylines.

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Suspicious Activity Reporting

Bring "Suspicious Activity Reporting" training to life using animation characters and storylines.

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Unexplained Wealth Orders

Bring "Unexplained Wealth Orders" training to life using animation characters and storylines.

Microlearning 5 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks of Virtual Assets

Unlike fiat currency, virtual assets are not managed by any bank or government, leaving them vulnerable to several unique risks concerning money laundering and terrorist financing.

Express 20 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing

Most countries have extremely tough AML laws with severe penalties.

In-depth 30 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Embargoes and Sanctions

Embargoes and sanctions prohibit transactions with an entity, trade in a commodity or the supply of goods.

In-depth 45 Minutes Financial Crime All staff

Market Abuse Regulation

Market Abuse Regulations prohibit insider dealing, unlawful disclosure of inside information and market manipulation.

In-depth 45 Minutes Financial Crime All staff