Money mules: don't let criminals use your account

A money mule is someone who lets money pass through their bank account for someone else. It may be pitched as easy cash, a job or a favour, but it's money laundering. It's a crime, even if you didn't know where the money came from.

How people get drawn in

• "Easy money" posts on social media: "Earn £500 a week from your phone", "Need people with a bank account".
• Fake jobs: "payment processing agent" or "finance assistant" roles that involve receiving and forwarding money.
• Friends or partners asking to "borrow" your account, or a new online partner asking you to receive money for them.
• Someone you've never met paying money into your account "by mistake" and asking you to send it on.

Young people, students and people new to the UK are often targeted.

What can happen if you're a money mule

• Your bank account is closed, and you may struggle to open another one for years
• A fraud marker against your name, making it hard to get a phone contract, loan, credit card or mortgage
• Prosecution for money laundering, which can carry a prison sentence
• Criminals now have your details and may pressure or threaten you to do more

Protect yourself

• Never let anyone else use your account, cards or app, or receive money for them, however good the reason sounds.
• Be wary of job offers that need your bank details up front or involve moving money. See our guide to job and task scams and our archive of real money mule recruitment emails.
• If unexpected money arrives in your account, don't send it anywhere. Tell your bank and let it handle returning it.

Last reviewed: October 2026