From The Tinder Swindler to Inventing Anna, a new genre of shows are piquing people’s interest in surreal scamming stories.
Scottish comedian Paul Black is working with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to raise awareness of another form of fraudulent activity that’s on the rise, money muling.
This is an illegal activity where targets are recruited to channel illicit funds through their personal bank accounts.
People are letting criminals channel money through their bank accounts with no idea that what they’re doing is actually against the law.”
Paul Black, comedian.
The number of “mules” has grown dramatically since the start of the pandemic.
Young people are most at risk, with half (48%) of victims aged 18-26.
More than 17,000 suspected cases involving 21- to 30-year-olds were recorded in 2020, according to fraud prevention service Cifas.
Rising social media usage during lockdown is thought to be linked to the spike, with criminals using apps such as Snapchat and Instagram to recruit targets.
To raise awareness of the issue and to help people spot when they’re being targeted, Black is taking to the streets of Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh as “money mule man”, giving unsuspecting members of the public the chance to win a £100 cash prize.
He will ask random people to look after money.
If they say “no”, they will be rewarded with £100, while those who say “yes” will go home empty-handed.
Be vigilant
The new campaign aims to raise awareness of money muling and support people in being vigilant about the ways criminals may try to exploit them by making use of their bank account.
Those caught face being jailed for up to 14 years and being banned for life from having a bank account.
Hopefully, this new campaign will encourage people to think twice.”
Black, whose online comedy sketches have amassed a huge following in Scotland and around the world, said: “To be honest, I’d never heard of money muling until recently.
“But I think that’s the key issue – people are letting criminals channel money through their bank accounts with no idea that what they’re doing is actually against the law.
“Hopefully, this new campaign will encourage people to think twice if they’re approached by a random individual and offered cash to let money sit in their bank for a few days. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
He added: “I’ll be out and about in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee to see if members of the public are clued up on money muling and find out who’s smart enough to win 100 quid.”
An RBS spokeswoman said: “The message is simple – if approached to be a money mule, always say no.
“The consequences of becoming involved in this type of crime are severe. Your bank account will be closed down and you could end up in prison.”
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So what exactly is a money mule?
Money mules are recruited, sometimes unwittingly, by criminals to transfer illegally obtained money between different bank accounts.
The “mules” receive the stolen funds into their account and are often asked to withdraw it or wire it to a different account, often one overseas, keeping some of the cash for themselves.
Even those unaware the cash they’re transferring has been illegally obtained are deemed to be responsible for money laundering and can, therefore, face prosecution.