Are NFTs useful or are they just an outlet for money laundering?

I have several friends who are into crypto and we’ve been discussing the current hype for NFTs. NFTs have gained so much popularity recently that we see NFTs being sold at crazy prices. Half of us see the value in NFTs and half of us think it’s a joke. In my opinion I think the market for NFT right now is way too saturated and there are too many scams going on. But so is cryptocurrency as a whole too so I’m not sure. I saw this article titled “NFTs: Fraudsters Are Preying But The Industry Is Fighting Back” stating that big innovators are making a move on securing the NFT space. I wish the best for the NFT market but I’m still so skeptical. A few of my friends are buying NFTs and I’m scared I might be missing out.