Someone offers you £100 to receive money into your bank account and transfer it somewhere else.
It sounds easy.
You aren’t being asked to steal anything. You aren’t being asked for your bank password. You might even be told that the payment is completely legitimate and that you’re simply helping someone who cannot use their own account.
But your bank account could be used to move the proceeds of crime.
This is known as money muling, and UK financial firms are identifying large numbers of accounts suspected of being involved.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) reported in September 2026 that firms closed 238,396 suspected money-mule accounts during 2025, compared with 184,935 in 2023. The regulator cautions that the increase doesn’t necessarily mean money muling itself has risen by the same proportion; growth in customer numbers and improvements in detection may also contribute.
The important point for ordinary bank customers is simpler: allowing someone else to move suspicious money through your account can have serious consequences, even when you’re not the person who originally stole it.
How Money Muling Actually Works
A money mule is someone whose account is used to receive or transfer criminal funds on behalf of somebody else.
Criminals need this because moving stolen money directly into their own accounts makes them easier to identify.
Instead, they can create a chain.
Imagine a victim is tricked into transferring £4,000 after receiving a fraudulent call.
Rather than sending that £4,000 directly to an account obviously controlled by the fraudster, the criminals may send it through other people’s accounts.
One account receives the money.
Part is transferred to another.
Another person withdraws cash.
Some might be spent on goods or moved elsewhere.
The original stolen money becomes harder to follow.
The FCA describes money-mule activity as a form of money laundering and says some accounts identified in its recent analysis were used repeatedly and across different types of fraud, suggesting organised criminal infrastructure rather than isolated incidents.
The person providing the account might receive a small percentage as payment.
That’s why an offer such as “Keep £200 and send the remaining £3,800 to this account” should immediately raise concern.
The £200 isn’t free money.
You’re being paid to provide something the criminal needs: access to a financial account in your name.
How People Get Recruited
Not everyone who becomes involved starts out believing they’re helping criminals.
Recruitment can be deliberately misleading.
Someone may see a social-media post advertising easy work from home. The supposed job requires receiving “customer payments” and forwarding them to a company.
Another person may be approached by a friend who offers quick money for using their account.
A student might be told:
“I’ll send £1,000 to you. Transfer £900 to this other account and keep £100.”
Others may be approached through messaging apps or online advertisements.
The story can sound plausible: an overseas company needs a UK payment agent, somebody’s bank account has temporarily stopped working, or a business needs help processing transactions.
The practical question is:
Why does this person need your personal bank account to move their money?
A legitimate employer normally has its own banking and payment arrangements.
You shouldn’t need to turn your current account into somebody else’s payment-processing service.
Be especially cautious if the supposed opportunity involves little or no real work but offers surprisingly easy money.
The criminal isn’t paying for your expertise.
They’re paying for your bank account.
Why “I Didn’t Know the Money Was Stolen” Isn’t a Safe Strategy
People sometimes assume that the person who committed the original fraud carries all the risk.
That can be a dangerous assumption.
Money laundering involves dealing with the proceeds of crime, and the circumstances surrounding what someone knew or suspected can matter legally.
There can also be consequences long before a criminal case reaches a courtroom.
A bank that identifies suspicious activity may restrict or close an account while investigating what’s happening.
Imagine relying on one current account for:
- your salary,
- rent,
- Direct Debits,
- household bills,
- subscriptions,
- and everyday spending.
Suddenly losing normal access to that account can cause major practical problems.
The FCA says firms are increasingly using financial-crime controls to identify suspected mule accounts and that hundreds of thousands have been closed in recent years. FCA
There is also an important difference between receiving an ordinary payment from another person and deliberately allowing your account to be used as a pass-through.
Selling a second-hand bicycle for £150 and receiving a bank transfer is normal.
Receiving £5,000 from a stranger, keeping £500 and being instructed to immediately send £4,500 somewhere else is very different.
The combination of unexplained money + commission + instructions to move it onwards is a major warning sign.
The Warning Signs to Take Seriously
Money-mule recruitment doesn’t always announce itself as money laundering.
Look at what you’re actually being asked to do rather than the explanation surrounding it.
A supposed employer who wants to send company money through your personal current account deserves scrutiny.
So does anyone offering you a commission merely for receiving and forwarding funds.
Other warning signs include being asked to withdraw money as cash, purchase cryptocurrency or send funds to accounts belonging to people you’ve never met.
Secrecy is another red flag.
If you’re told not to explain the real purpose of transactions to your bank, something is wrong.
The same applies if somebody tells you what to say if your bank asks questions.
For example:
“If the bank calls, just say the money came from your cousin.”
A legitimate transaction shouldn’t require a fabricated explanation.
Pressure matters too.
Criminals may insist the transfer has to happen immediately because they don’t want stolen money sitting in one account long enough to be frozen.
If somebody becomes aggressive because you won’t move money quickly, stop communicating with them.
Young people can be particularly attractive targets because recruiters may present the arrangement as an easy way to make money rather than financial crime. That makes it worth discussing money-mule recruitment with teenagers and young adults who are beginning to use banking independently.
The lesson shouldn’t simply be “don’t talk to strangers online.”
A recruiter can also be someone they know.
The clearer rule is:
Don’t let another person use your bank account to receive and move money for them.
What to Do If Someone Offers You Money to Use Your Account
If you haven’t received anything yet, the safest action is straightforward.
Don’t provide your bank details for the arrangement.
Don’t accept the payment.
Don’t agree to move money.
And don’t allow someone else to access your banking app or account.
If the approach came through social media, save relevant evidence and use the platform’s reporting tools where appropriate.
If somebody claims the arrangement is a genuine job, investigate the employer independently.
Search for the organisation yourself rather than relying on links supplied by the recruiter.
A real business should be able to explain:
- what work you’re performing,
- why you’re being paid,
- who employs you,
- and why particular financial transactions are necessary.
A job description consisting mainly of “receive money and send it elsewhere” is not a normal employment arrangement.
You should be equally cautious about allowing somebody to open or operate an account in your name.
Your identity and banking access are valuable precisely because criminals want financial activity to appear connected to a legitimate customer rather than themselves.
What If You’ve Already Received the Money?
This is where people can make the situation worse.
Suppose £3,000 has already appeared in your account and the person who arranged it is demanding that you transfer £2,700 immediately.
Don’t assume that quickly following their instructions will solve the problem.
Contact your bank using an official channel and explain what happened.
Don’t move the money simply because the sender is pressuring you.
If you believe you’ve become involved in fraud or money laundering, be clear with the bank about the circumstances rather than inventing an explanation for the transactions.
Keep evidence such as:
- messages,
- usernames,
- telephone numbers,
- payment instructions,
- job advertisements,
- and transaction details.
Don’t delete the conversation because you’re embarrassed or worried about what it contains.
Those records may help establish how you were approached and what you were told.
And don’t send additional money if somebody claims you now owe them because the original funds have been frozen.
That can turn one dangerous situation into another.
If you’ve already lost money yourself, contact your bank promptly. The National Cyber Security Centre’s current guidance also directs people who have lost money to tell their bank straight away and use the appropriate official fraud-reporting route.
Protecting Your Bank Account From Being Used by Someone Else
Most people already understand that they shouldn’t give strangers their online-banking password.
Money-mule recruitment requires a slightly broader rule.
Your bank account itself is something you need to protect.
Don’t allow another person to use it as a temporary holding account.
Don’t give someone your bank card and PIN so they can withdraw funds.
Don’t approve transactions you don’t understand.
Don’t open an account for someone else to operate.
And don’t assume that receiving a commission makes an unexplained transaction legitimate.
If you’re offered easy money, ask what economic activity actually justifies the payment.
Someone paying you £200 for ten minutes of transferring money isn’t doing so out of generosity.
They need something from you.
Often, what they need is the appearance of legitimacy provided by an account held in somebody else’s name.
That should be the point where you walk away.
The Bottom Line
Money muling can begin with an offer that looks surprisingly harmless:
Receive this money.
Keep a little for yourself.
Send the rest somewhere else.
But the account may be acting as a bridge between a victim and the criminals who ultimately want the money.
The FCA’s latest figures show the scale at which UK financial firms are dealing with suspected mule accounts: 238,396 suspected accounts were closed in 2025 alone. FCA
The simplest protection is also the most important:
Don’t move somebody else’s unexplained money through your personal bank account.
If you’ve already become involved, don’t invent a story or keep following the recruiter’s instructions.
Stop, preserve the evidence and contact your bank through an official channel.
Easy money isn’t easy when the thing you’re being paid to provide is your identity and your bank account.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a money mule?
A money mule is someone whose account is used to receive or transfer criminal funds on behalf of others. The FCA describes money-mule activity as a form of money laundering. FCA
Can you become a money mule without realising it?
People can be recruited through misleading job advertisements, social-media approaches or requests from people they know. If a supposed opportunity requires unexplained money to pass through your personal account, stop and investigate before doing anything.
Is receiving money for someone else always illegal?
No. People legitimately receive and transfer money for many reasons. The concern is when your account is being used to move criminal funds or you’re being recruited into suspicious financial activity.
What should I do if suspicious money has already reached my account?
Don’t simply follow instructions to move it elsewhere. Contact your bank through an official channel, explain what happened and keep records of the messages and transaction details.
Can my bank close my account over suspected money-mule activity?
Financial firms do close accounts they identify as suspected mule accounts. The FCA reported that 238,396 suspected mule accounts were closed during 2025.
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