Kent Police supports national ‘money mules’ awareness campaign

A national campaign aimed at deterring students from becoming illegal ‘money mules’ has the backing of Kent Police.

Money mules are people who allow others to access their bank accounts in exchange for a cut of the criminal funds placed there, which in itself is a form of money-laundering that carries a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment.

Ignorance of the crime is not an excuse and those involved also risk having their bank accounts closed, making it more difficult to obtain student loans, mobile phone contracts or other financial products.

The ‘Don’t Be Fooled’ campaign, which is being run by the fraud prevention services Cifas and Financial Fraud Action UK, aims to raise awareness of these issues and deter students in particular from putting themselves at risk.

Detective Chief Inspector Lee Morton of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: ‘We are fully supportive of this initiative and hope it will strike a chord with the young people it is targeted at, whose futures may be severely affected if they are drawn into this type of criminal activity.

‘We have previously run our own campaigns aimed at raising awareness of money mules so it is pleasing that this issue is now also receiving national attention.

‘Most law-abiding residents would never even consider being involved in slavery, drug-dealing or human trafficking, but if they are helping to launder the money of the criminals who are then they are not free from responsibility. Ignorance is not an excuse.

‘Anyone who does receive an offer that is too good to be true should speak to their parents, a teacher or contact Kent Police by calling 101. They can also call Kent Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.’

As part of the ‘Don’t Be Fooled’ campaign, a new video has been created in the style of a fundraising appeal called ‘Sponsor a Child Trafficker’.

It shows how offenders trick people into giving them access to their bank accounts, and reveals that more than 8,600 young people aged 18-24 have been caught acting as money mules in the UK this year.

Simon Dukes, chief executive of Cifas, said: ‘Our new figures show that money muling amongst young people is on the rise. This is a serious issue that not only has consequences for the money mule, but for society as a whole.

‘The criminals behind money mules often use the cash to fund major crime, like terrorism and people trafficking. It’s this side of money muling that we want to raise awareness of with our new film.

‘We want to educate young people about how serious this fraud is in the hope that they will think twice before getting involved.’