All they need is your bank account. How to avoid becoming a money mule?

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How many times have we heard the story that someone, tempted by easy financial gain, was manipulated to such an extent that he ended up taking part in a crime. Suffice it to recall the recent story of a 16-year-old girl in Wrocław who exposed a large group of people to financial losses. She was a tool in the hands of criminals and, using the BLIK system, made a series of withdrawals from ATMs throughout Poland.

Since there are still many cases of this type, the Police has published a guide on its website entitled: “How not to become a money mule?”. It is worth reading the information contained therein.

Financial fraud is difficult to recognize immediately

But usually they start with an attractive job offer. Well, a bit too attractive, because usually neither experience nor type of education matters.

Those advertising offers for “finance mules” often claim to be representatives of foreign companies who are looking for local/domestic representatives to act on their behalf. The only requirement is to have your own bank account through which transactions can be made.

– we read in the Police manual.

Sometimes it is an offer of remote work, other times the employee must go to an ATM to withdraw funds. All these offers have one thing in common – they prey on people’s problems. People who become financial mules most often have financial problems and use this type of offers as a last resort.

What to do to avoid falling victim to fraudsters?

• Do not respond to any messages with offers of high salaries for simple work. Also, do not open suspicious links.
• Check carefully the company that posted or sent you a job offer. Criminals often impersonate companies, organizations and institutions. Sometimes they use fake websites for this purpose. If you are interested in an offer for a specific position, it is best to contact the company directly and ask whether it is actually recruiting.
• Do not provide your personal or sensitive data to anyone. Before you send information about yourself (e.g. application form or CV), carefully check the offer and the person contacting you. Make sure you talk to a representative of the organization in question.
• Don’t give your bank account number to people you don’t know personally.
• Do not share your online banking login details or data such as your PIN number or CVV code with anyone. Don’t let outsiders have access to your data and money.
• Do not perform banking transactions if you are not sure what they involve. Seemingly simple, innocent transfers may not only result in the loss of your money, but also have serious consequences, such as involvement in money laundering.

Any suspicious offers and sites should be reported to the appropriate institutions.

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