Parents and guardians in Devon and Cornwall are being urged to warn their children about the dangers of becoming a money mule, with national figures revealing the number of 14-18-year olds misusing their bank accounts has risen by 73 per cent in two years.

A money mule is someone who transfers stolen money through their own bank account on behalf of someone else and is paid for doing so. Criminals use money mules to launder the profits of their crimes.

Young people are often unaware that acting as a money mule is illegal, not being aware of the provenance of the money going through their accounts. They are approached to take part online or in person, including through social media, at school, college or sports clubs.
As part of the Don’t Be Fooled awareness campaign, Devon and Cornwall Police is contacting schools in its area to warn parents and guardians of the risks of their children becoming a money mule.

Figures from Cifas, the largest cross-sector fraud-sharing and prevention non-profit organisation in the UK, show that in 2018 there were 5,819 cases nationally of young people aged 14-18 using their bank accounts for money muling in the UK. This is a rise of 20 per cent on 2017 (4,849 cases) and a 73 per cent increase since 2016 (3,360 cases).

Further information and advice about money mules is available at www.moneymules.co.uk
Inspector John Shuttleworth of Devon & Cornwall Police said: “In a four year investigation into nationwide large scale fraud Devon and Cornwall Police, involving adults embroiled in money laundering, we found the predominant feature for many of the people suspected of money laundering was a naïve understanding of where money had come from when it appeared in their bank account.

“Some would turn a blind eye for a cut of the money or sometimes sell the bank account to someone without asking why. Some were completely fooled into thinking they were doing a ‘friend’ a favour by lending their account details and security information.

“To be clear, when someone asks to borrow or use your bank account, they will be doing it for the purpose of hiding stolen money that is often stolen from very vulnerable victims or from the proceeds of drug trafficking and the like. Don’t do it, it’s illegal – you could end up being arrested whilst someone somewhere will be profiting from the exploitation of the vulnerable”.

Mike Haley, CEO of Cifas, said: “The increasing use of social media means that young people have never been more vulnerable to becoming victims of fraud. Many youngsters are unaware of the devastating consequences that fraud can have on their future opportunities, and so teachers, parents and carers can play an important role here by ensuring young people have the necessary knowledge and skills to prevent them from unwittingly falling victim to fraud, or even become perpetrators themselves.”

Katy Worobec, Managing Director of Economic Crime at UK Finance, said: “It may seem like an easy way to make some cash, but as well as being illegal, being a money mule means you will also be helping to fund serious crimes such as drug dealing and people trafficking. When you are caught your bank account will be closed and you will find it difficult to open an account elsewhere or get a mobile phone contract or credit in the future.

Remember, never give your bank account details to anyone unless you know and trust them.”

Follow the advice of the Don’t Be Fooled campaign to spot the tell-tale signs that someone might be involved in money muling and for tips on how to stay safe:

Make sure your child doesn’t give their bank account details to anyone unless they know and trust them.

Tell them to be cautious of unsolicited offers of easy money, because if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Look out for your child suddenly having extra cash, buying expensive new clothes or electronics with very little explanation as to how they got the money.

A young person involved in money muling may become more secretive, withdrawn or appear stressed.

Parents and guardians are advised not to attempt to contact any individual they suspect of organising money muling and should instead contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Devon and Cornwall Police News and Appeals

Elderly victims being targeted

Devon and Cornwall Police received two reports on Tuesday 23 July, of elderly residents being the target of telephone scams, with fraudsters working in the area.
Fraudsters are contacting victims by telephone and purporting to be a police officer or bank official.
To substantiate this claim, the caller might be able to confirm some easily obtainable basic details about the victim such as their full name and address.
They may also offer a telephone number for the victim to call to check they are genuine; this number is not genuine and simply redirects to the fraudsters who pretend to be a different person.
After some trust has been established, the fraudster will then, for example, suggest;
Some money has been removed from a victim’s bank account and staff at their local bank branch are responsible;
Suspects have already been arrested but the ‘police’ need money for evidence.
Today’s victims, a lady in her 80s from the Exeter area, and a man in his 70s from the Liskeard area, were contacted by someone pretending to be from the Serious Fraud Office, Scotland Yard, by the name of John Collins.
He stated that someone had used their account details to buy items online.
The fraudsters frightened the victims into believing their money was at risk and not to trust anyone in the bank.
They were told to withdraw nearly £10,000, as well as various amounts of foreign currency, from their personal accounts and hand them to a man called Martin Johnson working for the police; the courier.
It is often the case, to reassure the victim, a ‘safe word’ might be communicated to the victim so the courier appears genuine.
At the time of handover, unsuspecting victims are promised the money they’ve handed over will be reimbursed, but, in reality, there is no further contact and the money is never seen again.
Both victims have been safeguarded and no money has been paid out to the criminals.
The public are reminded that these fraudsters are highly professional in their approach and incredibly convincing. The best way to prevent these scams is to make everyone aware.
Remember, your bank or the police will never:
Phone and ask for your PIN or full banking password;
Ask you to withdraw money to hand over to them for safe-keeping, or send someone to your home to collect cash, PIN, cards or cheque books if you are a victim of fraud;
Don’t assume an email or phone call is authentic just because someone knows your basic details (such as your name and address or even your mother’s maiden name), it doesn’t mean they are genuine;
Be mindful of who you trust – criminals may try and trick you into their confidence by telling you that you’ve been a victim of fraud.
Stay in control – if something feels wrong, then it is usually right to question it. Have the confidence to refuse unusual requests for personal or financial information.

Please note that this message was sent by Devon and Cornwall Police.

Police are appealing for witnesses to a fatal collision near Kingsbridge on Sunday [9 June] in which a man died. Emergency services were called at 5.50am after a blue Rover 25 overturned on the A381 near to Piers Cottage. The driver and sole occupant, a 30-year-old Kingsbridge man, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The road was closed for six-and-a-half hours while a specialist examination of the scene was carried out.

Police are asking for any witnesses to the collision or anyone with information to contact them via 101@dc.police.uk or by phone on 101, quoting log number 0210 of 09/06/19.

What you need to know

Individuals have been receiving phone calls from people claiming to be a police officer or banking official

The suspect will say either:
There has been fraudulent activity at the victims’ bank and the staff at the bank are involved, the victim is then asked to withdraw money to either keep it safe or assist the police with their investigation
A business such as a jewellers or currency exchange is fraudulent and they require the victims’ assistance to help secure evidence by purchasing jewellery or exchange a large amount of currency to hand over to the police
The victims’ card has been compromised and used to purchase goods by a suspect, the victim is requested to withdraw their money to keep it safe or hand over their bank card to the police

What you need to do

​​​​​​​Your bank or the police will never:

Occasionally the victim will be told to dial a non-emergency extension of ‘161’ to receive confirmation of the individual’s bogus identity, the bogus official will advise the victim to lie about the reason for the withdrawal or purchase if challenged by staff, as the staff member is involved in the fraud
A courier attends the victim’s home address to collect the goods the same day Often the victim is given a code word for the courier as a way of authentication
Phone and ask you for your PIN or full banking password
Ask you to withdraw money to hand over to them for safe-keeping
Ask you to transfer money out of your account
Send someone to your home to collect cash, PINs, cards to cheque books

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