Exploring the growing use of money mules to facilitate criminality, 15 December 2025

 

Uncovering the growing phenomenon of money mules

This workshop provides a unique insight into contemporary issues, challenges and best practice around the growing use of money mules, predominantly young people as money mules in a range of criminality.

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The day will be led Professor Sarah Kingston and Dr Nicola Harding, who are considered leading experts in fraud and criminality. They are involved in conducting innovative research and they regularly work alongside police and law enforcement agencies to help inform operational best practice.

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The day will feature new research into money mules. The research includes interviews with money mules and provides a fascinating insight into how they were recruited and used to facilitate criminality.

 

Exploring the role of Money Mules

Money mules are integral to money laundering schemes, where illegal money is processed through a series of transactions to appear legitimate.

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They often transfer funds obtained through various forms of fraud, such as phishing schemes, business email compromise, and online scams. This helps criminals quickly move stolen money and complicate recovery efforts.

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Money mules are used in crimes including fraud and financial crime, terrorism and all forms of organised crime, cyber-crime, financial crime, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, drugs and firearms.

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Money mules facilitate the international movement of funds, which is essential for both organised crime groups and terrorist organisations that operate globally. This cross-border transfer of money supports logistics, recruitment, and other operational needs.

 

Criminals often target vulnerable people, such as students, the elderly, or those in financial distress, to become money mules.

Such individuals may be unaware of the illegal nature of their actions and can suffer severe legal and financial consequences.

 

The day will include:

• An overview of the current trends/threat picture and an assessment of why money mules are increasingly being used in criminality

 

• A look at how money mules are recruited and managed by criminals

 

• A look at the process of money muling from receiving funds, moving funds, obfuscating the trail and how it is made to appear legitimate

 

• A look at the criminal status of a money mule, the criminality they have committed and the outcomes

 

• Advice on how investigators can detect money mules in their investigations

 

• Advice around prevention.

 

• A unique insight from young money mules themselves.

 

Who should attend?

Investigators and analysts who are involved in:

• Financial investigations

• Organised exploitation including human trafficking and child sexual exploitation investigations

• Counter terror investigations

• Serious and organised crime investigations

• Organised immigration crime investigations 

• Cyber crime investigations

 

• Held online via Teams

• Certificates of CPD available.

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HOW TO BOOK

Cost: £209 + VAT (GBP) per delegate per workshop (LEA and Government Agency rate).  £249.50 + VAT (Industry rate), per delegate 

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Group bookings: We offer various discounts for group bookings depending on numbers, please contact us for details.

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Booking: Please send the delegates name(s), email address(es) and purchase order (made out to The Investigator) to booking@the-investigator.co.uk or telephone +44(0)844 660 8707 for further information. 

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Payment can be made by PayPal/debit/credit card. ​The meeting link will be sent out 7 days before the event.

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