Authorities arrest more than 400 people for money laundering
A police operation in at least 26 countries managed to identify a network that operated alongside some 4,000 money mules
Some 422 people were arrested by police authorities from 26 countries, mainly European, during an international operation against money laundering, which allowed the identification of more than 4,000 “mules” of money and 227 recruiters, the European Police Office (Europol) announced this Wednesday, December 2.
Operation “EMMA 6” led to the initiation of 1,529 criminal investigations, especially between the last months of September and November, which involved more than 500 banks and financial institutions.
The authorities identified 4,942 fraudulent money transactions with the use of “mules”, managing to avoid a total loss estimated at 33.5 million euros.
These individuals transfer stolen money between accounts, often between different countries and on behalf of other people, to receive a commission for their services as “easy money.”
The 227 identified recruiters used different ways to reach the “mules”, like direct contact to email, but these criminals are increasingly turning to social media in search of new accomplices through false job offers in Internet.
In this sense, the European Union police authorities, together with agencies such as Europol and financial institutions, will launch the #DonBeaMule campaign this week to raise public awareness about the risks of these actions and to inform about how criminals operate, how to protect from them and what to do in case of being involved in their activities.
K. Tovar
Source: Doblellave
