Money Mules

Don't Be a Mule: Awareness Tin can Forbid Offense

What Is a Money Mule?

A coin mule is someone who transfers or moves illegally acquired money on behalf of someone else.

Criminals recruit money mules to help launder proceeds derived from online scams and frauds or crimes like man trafficking and drug trafficking. Coin mules add layers of altitude between crime victims and criminals, which makes it harder for law enforcement to accurately trace coin trails.

Money mules can motility funds in various means, including through depository financial institution accounts, cashier's checks, virtual currency, prepaid debit cards, or coin service businesses.

Some coin mules know they are supporting criminal enterprises; others are unaware that they are helping criminals profit.

Money mules oft receive a committee for their service, or they might provide assistance because they believe they have a trusting or romantic relationship with the individual who is asking for help.

If you are moving coin at the direction of another person, you may be serving as a money mule.

What Are the Consequences?

Interim every bit a coin mule is illegal and punishable, even if you aren't aware you're committing a offense.

If you are a money mule, you could be prosecuted and incarcerated equally part of a criminal coin laundering conspiracy. Some of the federal charges yous could face include mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, coin laundering, and aggravated identity theft.

Serving equally a coin mule can as well damage your credit and fiscal standing. Additionally, you adventure having your ain personally identifiable data stolen and used by the criminals yous are working for, and y'all may be held personally liable for repaying money lost past victims.

Who Is at Risk?

Criminals oft target students, those looking for work, or those on dating websites, but anyone can be approached to be a money mule.

What Are the Signs?

Work-from-Abode Chore Opportunities

  • You lot received an unsolicited email or social media message that promises easy money for piddling or no effort.
  • The "employer" you communicate with uses web-based email services (such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, Outlook, etc.).
  • You are asked to open up a depository financial institution account in your ain name or in the proper name of a visitor you grade to receive and transfer money.
  • As an employee, y'all are asked to receive funds in your bank account then "procedure" or "transfer" funds via: wire transfer, ACH, mail, or money service business (such as Western Marriage or MoneyGram).
  • You are immune to go on a portion of the money you lot transfer.
  • Your duties have no specific job clarification.

Dating and Social Media Sites

  • An online contact or companion, whom you have never met in person, asks you to receive money and and so forrad these funds to one or more individuals you do not know.

Protect Yourself

  • Perform online searches to check the legitimacy of any company that offers you a job.
  • Do non accept whatsoever job offers that inquire yous to use your own depository financial institution account to transfer money. A legitimate company will not ask you to do this.
  • Be wary if an employer asks you to form a company to open upwardly a new depository financial institution account.
  • Be suspicious if an individual you met on a dating website wants to utilise your banking concern account for receiving and forwarding money.
  • Never give your fiscal details to someone y'all don't know and trust, especially if y'all met them online.

Reply and Report

If you accept received solicitations of this type, practice not respond to them and do not click on whatever links they contain. Inform your local police or the FBI.

If yous believe that you are participating in a money mule scheme:

  • Terminate communication with the suspected criminal(southward).
  • Stop transferring money or any other items of value immediately.
  • Maintain any receipts, contact data, and relevant communications (emails, chats, text messages, etc.).
  • Notify your bank and the service you used to conduct the transaction.
  • Notify law enforcement. Study suspicious activity to the FBI's Internet Offense Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov, and contact your local FBI field function.

Stock graphic of man in spotlight casting mule shadow on the ground with other people in the background.

Types of Money Mules

Unwitting or Unknowing

Individuals are unaware they are part of a larger scheme

  • Frequently solicited via an online romance scheme or job offer
  • Asked to use their established personal bank business relationship or open a new account in their true proper noun to receive money from someone they have never met in person
  • May be told to keep a portion of the money they transferred
  • Motivated past trust in the bodily beingness of their romance or job position

Witting

Individuals ignore obvious crimson flags or deed willfully blind to their money motility activity

  • May have been warned by depository financial institution employees they were involved with fraudulent action
  • Open accounts with multiple banks in their true name
  • May have been unwitting at commencement but go along communication and participation
  • Motivated past fiscal gain or an unwillingness to acknowledge their role

Complicit

Individuals are aware of their function and actively participate

  • Serially open bank accounts to receive coin from a diverseness of individuals/businesses for criminal reasons
  • Annunciate their services every bit a coin mule, to include what actions they offer and at what prices. This may as well include a review and/or rating by other criminal actors on the coin mule'south speed and reliability.
  • Travel, as directed, to different countries to open financial accounts or register companies
  • Operate funnel accounts to receive fraud gain from multiple lower level coin mules
  • Recruit other money mules
  • Motivated by financial gain or loyalty to a known criminal group

Stories

Printing Releases

  • 12.03.2021

    U.South. Department of Justice Announces Results of Nationwide Enforcement Action Against Money Mules

  • 12.03.2021

    U.S. Constabulary Enforcement Targets Fraud Facilitators, Doubling Last Twelvemonth'south Enforcement

  • 12.03.2021

    U.Due south. Law Enforcement Targets Fraud Facilitators, Doubling Concluding Year'southward Enforcement

  • 12.03.2021

    U.S. Police Enforcement Targets Fraud Facilitators, Doubling Last Yr's Enforcement

  • 12.03.2021

    U.Due south. Police force Enforcement Targets Fraud Facilitators, Doubling Last Year's Enforcement

  • 12.03.2021

    U.S. Law Enforcement Targets Fraud Facilitators, Doubling Last Year's Enforcement

  • 12.03.2021

    Two Defendants Indicted During Nationwide 'Money Mule Initiative'

  • 08.09.2021

    Donna J. Clark Indicted for Fraud and Money Laundering in COVID-nineteen-Related Paycheck Protection Program Loan Scheme

  • 06.22.2021

    Oregon FBI Tech Tuesday: Building a Digital Defense Against Elderberry Fraud (Role ii, Money Mules)

  • 05.25.2021

    Melbourne Human being Sentenced to Federal Prison for Money Mule Activities

  • 12.xv.2020

    Your Banking concern Business relationship Could Be Bankrolling Crime

  • 12.eleven.2020

    FBI Warns of Money Mules

  • 12.11.2020

    Northern District of Alabama Federal Law Enforcement Agencies Part of Global Crackdown Against Money Laundering and Transnational Fraud

  • 12.08.2020

    Fraudsters Casualty on Emotions and Depository financial institution Accounts in Money Mule Schemes

  • 12.04.2020

    Your Bank Account Could Be Fueling Criminal offence

  • 12.03.2020

    U.S. Law Enforcement Takes Action Confronting Approximately 2,300 Money Mules in Global Crackdown on Coin Laundering

  • 12.03.2020

    U.South. Constabulary Enforcement Takes Action Against Approximately ii,300 Money Mules in Global Crackdown on Money Laundering

  • 12.03.2020

    U.S. Police force Enforcement Takes Action Against Approximately 2,300 Money Mules in Global Crackdown on Money Laundering

  • 12.03.2020

    U.S. Law Enforcement Takes Action Against Money Mules in Global Crackdown on Money Laundering

  • 12.02.2020

    Arizona 2020 Money Mule Initiative

  • 12.02.2020

    U.Southward. Constabulary Enforcement Takes Action Against Approximately 2,300 Money Mules in Global Crackdown on Money Laundering

  • eleven.16.2020

    FBI, TBI, and U.S. Hush-hush Service Warn of Increase in Money Mule Schemes in Middle and West Tennessee

  • 11.12.2020

    Top Maine Law Enforcement Officials Caution Residents Nearly Becoming "Money Mules"

  • 10.09.2020

    4 Individuals are Charged for Operating as 'Money Mules' in Split Business Email Compromise Schemes

  • 04.06.2020

    FBI Warns of Money Mule Schemes Exploiting the COVID-nineteen Pandemic

  • 12.23.2019

    Miami Human Sentenced to More Than Five Years in Prison house for Function as Money Mule and Mule Recruiter in International Cybercrime Money Laundering Network

  • 12.04.2019

    Justice Department Announces Landmark Coin Mule Initiative