Money mule

A money mule is a person who moves money for criminals by receiving it into their own bank or crypto account and sending it on, often keeping a small cut. The money usually comes from scams and fraud, and passing it through many accounts helps hide its source. Mules are recruited through fake jobs like "payment processing agent", social media posts offering quick cash, romance scams, or requests to "borrow" an account. Students and young people are frequent targets. Acting as a mule is illegal in most countries even without knowing the money was stolen, and can lead to account closure, a criminal record and long-term difficulty getting credit.