The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is warning Australians to be vigilant online following a spike in criminal syndicates using job advertisements and romance scams to recruit money mules.
The AFP has partnered with Europol and the European Money Mule Action (EMMA) to launch its new #DontBeAMule campaign.
“Australian authorities have noticed over the last 12 months an increase in seemingly-legitimate job offers and advertisements targeting those in economic hardship, the unemployed, students and recent immigrants,” the AFP said.
“These groups are seizing on opportunities presented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with people seeking to work from home,” it said.
“Money mule scams are typically employment or romance scams.”
The AFP said job advertisements were usually from overseas companies seeking local representatives.
“They will request someone undertake invoicing or accounts processing work, using their personal bank account to receive funds and then transfer them offshore – after deducting a commission for their efforts,” it said.
“Romance scams will involve the scammer building an online relationship with a victim, before eventually transferring money into their bank account with a request to send this money offshore to people claimed to be friends or family members.”
The AFP said criminal groups operating in Australia sought the use of legitimate Australian bank accounts to move money from a targeted or compromised account out of the country quickly.
Commander of Cybercrime Operations at AFP, Chris Goldsmid said economic hardship made it tempting to fall for promises of easy money, but cautioned that money mules, even unwitting ones, were complicit in these serious crimes.
“Organised criminals know there are many risks associated with having Australian bank accounts used for scams directly linked to them, so they recruit unknowing Australians to carry out their dirty work,” Commander Goldsmid said.
“If people are aware of how criminals use money mules, it makes it harder for scammers to profit from their activities, and gives banks, regulators and police a better opportunity to detect and prevent such activity,” he said.
Commander Goldsmid said people who believed they’d been lured into being a money mule should report it to Report Cyber (www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/report) or their local police, as well as notify their bank or payment provider/service.
