AUSTRAC has released a new financial crime guide to help businesses identify and report suspicious activity related to criminal networks targeting vulnerable international students and temporary residents as money mules.

A money mule is someone who transfers or moves illegally-acquired money on behalf of someone else.

Money mules can move funds in various ways, whether physical cash, bank account transfers, obtaining and depositing cashier’s cheques, digital currency, use of prepaid debit cards, or via remittance service providers.

Money mules may move money using a personal or company bank account, or someone else’s account, or may be instructed to register a company and then open a business bank account.

Criminal networks are known to target international students and other temporary residents as money mules, offering them a way to make money while living in Australia.

The guide sets out individual and financial indicators of mule activity, including for cash couriers, fraud and scam-related mule activity, casino money mules and cryptocurrency money mules.

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