Post by kas on May 3, 2012 12:58:07 GMT -5
You hear about criminal activity and you think they planned on scamming people and intentionally hurt people. Many times that is true (there is always a huge number involved that don't care about anyone else but their own wealth and success at the expense of others) but many times it also involves innocent people who did not realize what they were getting involved in.
Take for example (and this is only an example) someone searching for a job who comes across an advertisement that says they are hiring a financial manager but no experience is needed. A person who has been out of work for awhile would see that and think "finally a job I might actually qualify for that might even open up the doors to future opportunities!" Meanwhile the job is actually for someone to receive money and then send it out to another address. They get hired and think they are simply doing office work from home and the money is coming in. However the money is coming from victims who have fallen for other scams such as Fake Lotteries and Fake romance contacts and Fake "business deals with rich bankers" or "kin of deceased rich people".
So what exactly is a "Money Mule"?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_mule
See also:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_fraud
Take for example (and this is only an example) someone searching for a job who comes across an advertisement that says they are hiring a financial manager but no experience is needed. A person who has been out of work for awhile would see that and think "finally a job I might actually qualify for that might even open up the doors to future opportunities!" Meanwhile the job is actually for someone to receive money and then send it out to another address. They get hired and think they are simply doing office work from home and the money is coming in. However the money is coming from victims who have fallen for other scams such as Fake Lotteries and Fake romance contacts and Fake "business deals with rich bankers" or "kin of deceased rich people".
So what exactly is a "Money Mule"?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_mule
A money mule is a person who transfers stolen money or merchandise from one country to another, either in person, through a courier service, or electronically. The term is commonly used to describe on-line scams that prey on victims who are unaware that the money or merchandise they are transferring is stolen. In these scams, the stolen money or merchandise is transferred from the victim's country to the scam operator's country.
Online money mule scams typically exist as a result of other types of online fraud, such as phishing scams, malware scams or scams that operate around auction sites like eBay. After money or merchandise has been stolen using any of those methods, a scammer will employ a mule to relay the money or goods to the scammer. This process obscures the scammer's true identity and location from the initial victim. Money mules may be subject to criminal prosecution for their actions.
Money mules are commonly recruited with job advertisements for "payment processing agents," "money transfer agents," "local processors," and other similar titles. Some money mules are recruited by a scammer posing as an attractive member of the opposite sex. Candidates are asked to accept payments and to remit most of the funds to a third party — a job which can be done from one's own home. Legitimate companies use escrow services for this kind of work. Scammers trading in stolen goods use similar tactics to recruit mules who receive packages and then forward them to mail drops in the scammer's home country.
Online money mule scams typically exist as a result of other types of online fraud, such as phishing scams, malware scams or scams that operate around auction sites like eBay. After money or merchandise has been stolen using any of those methods, a scammer will employ a mule to relay the money or goods to the scammer. This process obscures the scammer's true identity and location from the initial victim. Money mules may be subject to criminal prosecution for their actions.
Money mules are commonly recruited with job advertisements for "payment processing agents," "money transfer agents," "local processors," and other similar titles. Some money mules are recruited by a scammer posing as an attractive member of the opposite sex. Candidates are asked to accept payments and to remit most of the funds to a third party — a job which can be done from one's own home. Legitimate companies use escrow services for this kind of work. Scammers trading in stolen goods use similar tactics to recruit mules who receive packages and then forward them to mail drops in the scammer's home country.
See also:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_fraud