GovWire

The Home Office committed in the Fraud Strategy to publish a cross-sector Action Plan to disrupt money mule activity and protect the public. This is a first of its kind, cross-sector action plan, which will set out how government and partners will work together to improve outcomes. Deterrents and safeguarding measures will be balanced to disrupt money muling while protecting the public from related harms. It will bring together cross-sector innovations, including public awareness materials on the risks of money muling, initiatives from the financial sector to identify mule networks, law enforcement work to target criminals, and action by social media companies to make it harder for their systems to be used by criminals for money muling purposes.

Money muling involves criminals employing others to move the proceeds of crime on their behalf. While money muling can take many different forms one of the most common is when a criminal offers cash in exchange for the use of someone elses bank account. The money mules involved in moving funds can choose to do so willingly and be complicit in money laundering. Criminals also target some of the most vulnerable in society, including children and adults at risk, and exploit them into facilitating the movement of illicit funds. These people are themselves victims of the criminals behind money muling.

The guidance is aimed at frontline professionals and organisations who work with children and adults at risk, and is intended to enable practitioners to recognise and respond to financial exploitation linked to money laundering so that victims, and potential victims, can

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