Federal police have warned Australians to seriously analyse any online romances they may have, publishing a list of red flags that indicate they may be getting swept up in a “money muling” romance scam.
It comes after an international anti-money laundering crackdown, run in conjunction with Europol’s eighth annual global anti-money mule operation, identified more than a dozen Australian victims.
In total 15 Australians were identified as being “money mules,” transferring illicit cash on behalf of someone else, The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said.
AFP Commander Cybercrime Operations Chris Goldsmid said some criminals were preying on the lonely or using the online environment to trick their victims into unwittingly commit money laundering offences.
Money mule scams differ from traditional romance scams, where the victim loses money, as people who agree to transfer money on behalf of others can receive a profit themselves.
They require a lot of time investment from the scammer – and then the requests start coming in, Goldsmid explained.
“Criminals will invest a significant amount of time – sometimes years – building what seems to be a legitimate relationship with their victim.
“They will express their love for the victim and in some cases, promise marriage but will often have a complicated story about why they cannot meet in person.
“Once they’ve gained their victim’s trust, the criminal will ask them to set up a new bank account, or will transfer money into their existing account with a request to forward the funds offshore to people claimed to be their friends, family or businesses.
“The criminal will generally give the victim extra money as a gift and to help strengthen their trust.”
The funds are then put towards serious criminal activities, such as drug sales, the black market firearms trade or cyber scams.
“Criminals do not discriminate when choosing their victims. Anyone can be a target and they will use a range of extravagant excuses to pull on their victim’s heart strings.
“If something doesn’t feel right, talk to a trusted friend or family member before sending any funds. Never provide your banking details or identity documents to someone you’ve met online. If in doubt – don’t.”
People who are knowingly complicit in money muling scams face serious penalties, including jail terms of up to 25 years.
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