Under-30s being lured into money mule activity

A sharp increase in money mule cash laundering involving the under-30s has been identified during the first half of this year.

Money mules are paid by criminals to launder cash, and many do not realise they are involved in criminality.

Figures given to the BBC’S Crimewatch Live show a 78 per cent increase in accounts belonging to people aged under 21 bearing the hallmarks of money mule activity and a 76 per cent rise among those for people aged 21 to 30.

The figures, provided by the not-for-profit fraud prevention group Cifas, compare January to June 2021 with the same period in 2020.