Money Mule Initiative Results Announced by the US Department of Justice
As a part of the Money Mule Initiative, the law enforcement depart of the USA has taken action against up to 2,300 money mules. This Money Mule Initiative is a collaborated operation between the six US law enforcement including the FBI, Department of Justice, Postal Inspection Service. This number is increased from 600 which was last year’s count of money mules caught through this initiative.
This year, the action was taken against money mules in every state. The initiative targetted the money mules with a huge range of frauds including identity theft, romance scams, lottery fraud, imposter fraud, technical fraud, cyber fraud, insurance fraud, phishing attackers, CEO fraud, unemployment insurance fraud, and many other types of crimes which have affected the vulnerable members of the society.
Around 2,000 money mules were warned through a letter by the law enforcement entities. They captured 30 instances that assisted in returning the funds back to the victim. Additionally, up to 35 people were caught and charged with a criminal offence for being an accomplice in fraud and laundering fraud activities.
The department of Justice has also recognized the ABA’s role of engaging with the banks about money mules and making the financial institution aware of the problem and how it can be addressed. ABA is also hosting a webinar with the US Department of Justice to further the Money Mule Initiative and to highlight the role of banks in this initiative. Through this, they can educate the employees to detect the scam and teach customers about the scams.
