Are You A Money Mule? What You Need To Know
June 26, 2025
Criminals of all kinds traffic in stolen money and need middlemen to relocate the funds. From romance scams to phishing attacks and more, there’s plenty of fraudsters with hijacked money needing laundering—and that’s where money mules come in handy. Sometimes those people are unaware of what they are doing, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be punished for it.
The FBI defines a money mule as “someone who transfers or moves illegally acquired money on behalf of someone else.” Below are the red flags of avoiding becoming a money mule—and a criminal.
Beware of making easy money having to do with receiving or transferring money or packages
- Beware of a request from someone you don’t know or haven’t met in person to shuttle packages or money
- Beware of any potential romances where you’re asked to send them money. It’s especially true if they gain your trust by sending you money first
- Beware someone asking you to open a financial or cryptocurrency account
- Beware a demand you pay money to collect a prize or send a portion of your alleged winnings to someone. That’s especially true if you haven’t knowingly entered any contests
A Money Mule Is A Money Mule
There’s a big difference between those who know they’re acting as money mules and those who have no idea that they’re part of a fraud scheme. And who knows, the criminal might even be someone you’d least suspect. But in the eyes of the law, a money mule is a money mule and either way, it’s still a crime.
If you think you may have been pulled into a being a money mule, immediately stop communicating with the person directing you. Then, alert your financial institution and change to a new account if necessary. Report the situation to local authorities or the Federal Trade Commission for further investigation.
Remember, if a criminal already stole money via fraud, recruiting a money mule is chump-change. So, make sure you’re not their next victim.
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