In order to evade law enforcement, criminal enterprises use networks of people to transfer illicit funds between bank accounts, currencies, and blockchains.
These people are known as money mules, and in many cases, they are unaware they are involved in a criminal scheme.
According to the IRS, people may believe they are assisting a friend, doing a favor for a romantic interest, or performing job duties, but the consequences—often in the form of criminal charges—are the same for both willing and unwitting participants.
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This March, IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) collaborated with federal partners to participate in The Money Mule Initiative, an annual, multiweek effort to identify and prosecute facilitators of money mule schemes.
“Fraudsters prey on people’s vulnerabilities – whether that’s the need for friendship or the need for a job – and that can result in devastating financial and legal consequences for a person recruited as a money mule,” said CI Chief Jim Lee. “The best way to protect yourself from falling victim to one of these schemes is to know what to look for and to contact law enforcement if you suspect suspicious activity.”
According to the IRS, money mule networks recruit participants through a variety of means, including social media, employment, and dating websites, email spam, classified ads, and dark web forums.
Facilitators of these networks may send an unsolicited email or social media message that promises easy money with little to no effort.
They may pose as a prospective employer who requires a job candidate to open a bank account to receive and transfer company funds as a condition of employment. They may strike up an online relationship and then ask their romantic partner to transfer funds on their behalf using money a services business, a wire transfer or the U.S. Postal Service.
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At times, the mule may be told to keep a portion of the funds for themselves, making them a recipient of illicit money.
If you or someone you know believes they are part of a money mule network, immediately stop all communication with suspected criminals.
Do not transfer money or any other items of value. Maintain receipts, contact information and relevant communication like emails, chats and text messages. Notify your local CI field office and report suspicious activity to www.ic3.gov.
This is the sixth year of ‘The Money Mule Initiative’ where federal agencies take part in a coordinated, multiweek effort to combat the pervasive problem of fraud money flowing through U.S.-based facilitators, often referred to as money mules.
Since 2018, federal law enforcement agencies have surged resources as part of the initiative to disrupt money mule networks.
In addition to CI, participating agencies include: the Department of Justice, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
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