A money mule is a person who transfers illegally acquired money on behalf of or at the direction of another. The use of money mules helps criminals obscure the source, movement and destination of illicit proceeds. In some cases, a money mule is a willing participant facilitating the criminal activity. Many times; however, the money mule has no idea what they are doing. Money mules are often targeted and recruited which can come in many different forms such as online jobs scams, romance scams, social media, etc. Money mule networks are generally broken down into three types, unwitting, witting and complicit, each with their own transactional and behavioral indicators.
Kevin discussed money mules during our May AML/CFT Membership Group meeting. Hear what he had to say:
Published 2026/06/26