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Money mules

What you must look out for

How this scam works

Scammers try to recruit you as money mules, i.e. they get to transfer illegally obtained money. They convince you to receive and forward, through your personal banking account, funds that originate from fraud or other illegal activities. 

They typically try to reach out to you through fake job postings, social media posts or ads, messaging apps, or by having someone pose as a friend or associate. 

In exchange for your assistance, they will offer you a portion of the money as a fee.

What to look out for

You must be extremely cautious. A well-written message, a professional website or a familiar logo do not prove that an offer is legitimate. Scammers may use details or branding from real companies to make the scam look more credible.
 
They follow some common tactics that should make you suspicious:
 
  • Offering easy profit or a commission for minimal work.
  • Asking you to use your personal banking account, card or digital wallet to carry out third-party transactions.
  • Requesting you to receive funds from unknown persons and forward, withdraw or convert them into cryptocurrency. 
  • Contacting you exclusively through social media or messaging apps, without any verifiable employer or associate details.
  • Pressuring you to act immediately and keep the whole process a secret or include other people.
  • Suggesting opening a new account or digital wallet, and disclosing your card details (e.g. PIN, CVV2), digital banking credentials and verification codes.

How to protect yourself

If you suspect you are at risk of becoming a victim of fraud:

  • Do not disclose personal details, personal digital banking credentials, card details or verification codes, and do not approve transactions suggested by a third party.
  • Verify every job offer using the company’s official details. No legitimate company will ever ask you to transfer money through your personal account.
  • Do not open an account or get a card or wallet following instructions given by an unknown person and do not hand over control of them to third parties.
  • If you notice an unknown amount in your account, do not transfer it, do not withdraw it and do not return it following instructions from a third party.

What to do in case of fraud

If you’ve already fallen victim to money muling, stop any communication immediately, do not carry out any further transactions, and:
 
  • Notify the Hellenic Police Cyber Crime Division on 11188.
  • Contact our Call Centre on +30 210 326 0000 stating the word “fraud”.
 
If you’ve disclosed your personal digital banking credentials or card details, state that clearly and change your credentials from a secure device.
 
At the same time, keep screenshots, usernames, phone numbers, IBANs, wallet addresses and proof of transactions, as well as messages or other evidence.

What else you need to know

It is important for you to know that an account holder may be easily identified when receiving or transferring money. If you use your account, card or wallet to carry out transactions involving third-party funds, you may suffer financial damage, face restricted access to banking services and even be subject to a criminal investigation.

In the event of fraud, the authorities make an assessment based on actual facts, i.e. whether you were aware of the fraud or whether you were misled. If you keep carrying out transactions despite clear warning signs, you seriously increase the risk of facing criminal charges.

Learn more about money muling through:

Introducing additional measures for your security