UK Hacker fraud - money mules

Teenagers in the U.K. are acting as fixers for online hackers who deploy them either as “money mules” – using their bank details to shift money, or to recruit others. Known as authorized push payment (APP) fraud, criminals hack email accounts and convince consumers to send money. It is these recipient accounts that have originated with the money mules. Criminal gangs are targeting teenagers. Within the gang there is a hierarchy. The hacker, “plug” is at the top of the chain, and below him are underage operatives.

The lowest group are the “runners”, who provide the bank account details. They can be as young as 13. Once an account is found to have been used in a fraud, it is blocked by the bank, so new accounts are needed for each theft. Like most criminal scams the real money is at the top.