Employment Scams on BBC News at One

I'll post a link when it appears on i-Player but it was given significance by the police to indicate that the scammers are being targeted as much as scammers target victims.

Newspaper article in the Daily Telegraph today

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/9894633/Students-warned-on-money-laundering-scam.html

Extrapolating nationally from the survey, Financial Fraud Action estimated that 380,000 people were at risk of becoming unwitting money launderers.

The figures were larger among students and new entrants to the UK, with 19pc and 20pc respectively accepting the work.

UK anti-crime charity - Crimestoppers

http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/media-centre/news-releases/2013/crimestoppers-warns-students-against-money-mule-fraudsters-with-new-campaign

This is actually a criminal offence and what the individual is taking part in is money laundering.

Unfortunately, pleading ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for those who become caught up in this crime, and it could lead to their bank account being frozen or even result in a custodial sentence.

Not only is it devastating for a student and their future to be in jeopardy, as part of their activity for the money launderers they will also have assisted in transferring large sums of money to individuals or groups involved in serious organised crime including drug dealing, theft and human trafficking of which there could be countless more victims.

UK banking information site

http://www.banksafeonline.org.uk/node/20

Remember that even if you have nothing to do with the actual extraction of funds from another person's account, by allowing your account to be used to receive and transfer such funds, you will be acting illegally.

Ignorance is no excuse - allowing your bank account to be used for fraud can lead to up to 10 years’ imprisonment!

The scammers 'employing' you know that you'll be caught, and it's inevitable. Contact your bank at the earliest opportunity if you get involved as your only defence is that you were duped. If you haven't transferred any money you may be fortunate.

http://www.cifas.org.uk/moneymulescams_feb

CIFAS, the UK’s Fraud Prevention Service

Online job seekers are being used as unwitting "money mules" and are being asked to misuse their bank accounts by laundering money through them. Misuse of an account was the second most commonly identified fraud in 2012 – with over 45,000 confirmed instances, many of which bear the hallmarks of such “money mule” activity.

Providers are legally required to close accounts that are used to launder money and can be heavily fined by international regulators if they fail to do so........ At worst you [mules] could go to prison for it