East Londoners 'vulnerable to money mule scam'

By Sarah Engle, Fri 4 Feb 2011 - Published in Banking

East Londoners appear to the people at most risk of falling for a money-laundering scam using fake job recruitment, it has been found.

Research carried out by Financial Fraud Action UK discovered that almost half of so-called money mules in Greater London are based in the east of the city, with 70 per cent of these living in Newham.

In the scam, online banking fraudsters convince people to wire sums of money to overseas locations using their bank details, recruiting vulnerable groups such as migrant workers and students though job emails.

Katy Worobec, head of fraud control at Financial Fraud Action UK, commented: "Whilst criminals are currently focusing on east Londoners, this problem is a national one and nobody can afford to be complacent."

Last month, UK Cards Association spokesman Mark Bowerman called for a collaborative approach from consumers, businesses, the police and the government to be used to tackle card fraud.

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