Money mule scams: what to do when a match asks you to move money

In this kind of romance scam, the money lands in your account first. A match asks you to take in a payment and send it on, and it feels like a favor to someone you care about.

Short answer: A money mule is someone who receives money and moves it on for someone else, when that money came from fraud. Romance scammers recruit matches to do it: they send you money and ask you to forward it, or ask you to open a bank account, crypto wallet or company in your name. If someone you met online asks you to send or receive money, stop. Don't send on money you still hold, call your bank and report it at ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

If a match asks you to do any of these, stop

1. Take a transfer, check or deposit into your account and send it on to someone else.
2. Keep part of the money as a gift for your trouble.
3. Open a bank account, or register a company, in your name for their business.
4. Open a crypto account or wallet, or link your bank account to one.
5. Withdraw cash to buy crypto, or feed cash into a crypto kiosk.
6. Buy gift cards with money they sent you.
7. Receive packages and ship them on.
8. Give them your login, or a copy of your driver's license.

Every line comes from warnings by the FBI, its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the Secret Service, the Postal Inspection Service and the Department of Justice. The DOJ's one-line test: "If someone you’ve met online or over the phone asks you to send or receive money, that person is likely trying to recruit you to be a money mule and is likely not being truthful with you."

Already moved money? What to do now

1. Stop sending and stop talking to them. An FDIC Office of Inspector General alert from June 2, 2026 says: "stop all transactions at once. Do not send or return funds."
2. Leave money you still hold where it is. The DOJ's Money Mule Initiative page says: "If you currently have money in your possession from the activity, don’t send it to the person who has been giving directions."
3. Call your bank or payment app. IC3 says to ask the bank to stop or reverse the transactions. The DOJ and the CFPB say to consider changing accounts.
4. Keep the messages. Save receipts, chats, texts and voicemails before you block anyone.
5. Report the profile to the dating app where you met.
6. Report it at ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If anything went through the mail, the Postal Inspection Service takes reports at uspis.gov/report or 877.876.2455.
7. If you're 60 or older, the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311) gives you a case manager to help with the reports.

What to put in each report is in how to report a romance scammer.

What is a money mule?

The FBI's definition: "A money mule is someone who transfers or moves illegally acquired money on behalf of someone else." The DOJ adds where the money comes from: "victims of fraud." IC3's December 2019 version is the widest: "any individual who transfers funds, in any manner, on behalf of, or at the direction of another."

Scammers need you because, as the FBI puts it, mules "add layers of distance between crime victims and criminals, which makes it harder for law enforcement to accurately trace money trails." The money in your account usually belongs to other victims.

The FBI and IC3 sort mules into three types.

• Unwitting. IC3 says they "genuinely believe they are helping someone who is acting as their romantic partner or employer."
• Witting. They "ignore obvious red flags or act willfully blind to their money movement activity," the FBI says, and may have been warned by bank staff. IC3 adds: "These individuals generally begin as an unwitting mule."
• Complicit. They know their role, and the FBI says they may recruit other mules.

If you didn't know, the FBI and IC3 would call that unwitting. The FBI lists ignoring red flags and being warned by bank staff among the signs of a witting mule, so stop at the first doubt. Don't wait for your bank to call. This is general information and not legal advice.

How do romance scammers turn a match into a money mule?

Slowly. IC3 titled an August 2019 alert "Cyber Actors Use Online Dating Sites To Conduct Confidence/Romance Fraud And Recruit Money Mules." It says scammers on dating sites often pose as US citizens living in another country, US military members deployed overseas, or US business owners who want help with an investment.

The alert describes grooming as "preparing a victim to conduct fraudulent activity on their behalf through communications intended to develop a trust relationship." It says: "Actors groom their victims over time and convince them to open bank accounts under the guise of sending or receiving funds." It also lists an early sign: an immediate request to move the chat off the dating site.

Then the asks start. The agencies describe four scripts.

• The business opportunity. IC3 says the story is that "there are investors willing to fund the project, but they need a U.S. bank account to receive funds." You open the account, or a company, in your name.
• The favor with a cut. You receive money and keep part of it "as a gift or payment for their trouble," per a December 2019 IC3 alert.
• The crypto setup. A December 2021 IC3 alert says mules were asked to "directly open cryptocurrency accounts and wallets as part of online scams such as romance fraud." Fake crypto trading platforms are covered in crypto romance scams.
• The borrowed account. "Your romantic partner claims to be unable to open a bank account and asks to use your account to transfer money," the Secret Service warns.

When a bank flags the account, the cycle restarts. IC3 says the account "may be closed and the actor will either direct the victim to open a new account or begin grooming a new victim." The fake check and refund versions are in sugar daddy scams.

What does the request sound like?

Maya and Daniel are invented for this example.

They moved from the app to a messaging app soon after matching. Daniel says he runs a supply business overseas. One evening he writes: "My investor's bank won't send money abroad. Could it come to you? Keep a bit for your trouble and send the rest to my supplier."

Maya agrees and sends most of it on. A week later Daniel asks her to open a second account for a bigger payment. Then her bank calls about the deposits.

Each step matches an agency warning. The bank's call matters most: the FBI describes witting mules as people who "May have been warned by bank employees they were involved with fraudulent activity" and kept going. If your bank asks about money a match sent you, tell them the truth and stop.

Is it illegal if you didn't know?

It can be. IC3's December 2021 alert says mules "face prison sentences, a fine or community service, even if unwitting." The FBI and Secret Service mule pages, both read in October 2026, agree. The FBI warns: "If you are a money mule, you could be prosecuted and incarcerated as part of a criminal money laundering conspiracy." In the Secret Service's words, "Money laundering is a crime, and so is being a money mule."

The same IC3 alert lists the federal charges, from mail fraud to aggravated identity theft, and says they carry fines reaching $1,000,000 and up to 30 years in prison. Those are the highest penalties the charges carry. IC3 doesn't say what a typical unwitting mule faces.

The DOJ separates knowing from not knowing. Its May 2023 release says its actions were "designed to punish those who knowingly assisted fraudsters and to advise those who may have been unknowingly helping fraudsters that their conduct furthered crime." Its initiative page says each action depends "on the facts and circumstances of each unique matter."

This is general information, not legal advice. If law enforcement contacts you, talk to a lawyer.

What happens to your bank account?

IC3 says a flagged account may be closed, and lists what mules risk: "identity theft, personal liability, negative impacts on credit scores, and the inability to open bank accounts in the future." It also warns the criminals may threaten mules and their families with violence if they stop. If you are in danger, call 911. Otherwise tell your local police as well as IC3.

The FDIC inspector general's June 2026 alert says mules can be "held financially accountable for victims' losses." If the money came as a check, the FTC says it "may clear but then later turn out to be a fake check. The bank will want you to repay it." None of these agencies says how often this happens, so talk to your bank early.

What is a money mule warning letter?

It is a letter from federal law enforcement telling someone their activity is helping fraud. The letters are one tool of the DOJ's Money Mule Initiative, which the DOJ describes as an annual campaign.

The most recent national results we found are in a DOJ release dated May 10, 2024. Agencies "served approximately 2,970 letters warning individuals that their actions were facilitating fraud schemes," and acted against over 3,000 money mules in all. More than 20 people were criminally charged for knowingly receiving and forwarding victim funds or laundering fraud proceeds. The same release says: "Many money mules begin as victims of romance or lottery scams and are unknowingly lured by fraudsters into transmitting fraud proceeds based on lies."

The letters are meant for people like that. The DOJ says they "warned individuals that their activities are facilitating fraud and outlined the potential consequences of continuing to transmit illegally acquired funds." Its December 4, 2019 release says: "The letters informed recipients that they could be prosecuted if they continue aiding and abetting fraud schemes."

Earlier releases give the history: the December 2019 release counted over 500 warning letters from a two-month campaign, and the May 2023 release over 4,000 in about three months. The 2023 release adds that some of those charged had continued "despite warnings from law enforcement." As of May 2023, the DOJ counted over 12,000 actions since the first campaign.

We found no published sample letter. If you get one, stop moving money and talk to a lawyer. This is general information and not legal advice.

How many people does this affect?

No US agency publishes a count of romance-recruited mules. IC3's 2025 Internet Crime Report, published in April 2026, doesn't use the word mule. Its Confidence/Romance category covers people tricked into sending money "or to launder money or items to assist the perpetrator," so mules sit inside the romance totals:

• 2025: 23,159 Confidence/Romance complaints, with $929,287,469 in reported losses.
• 2024: 17,910 complaints, with $672,009,052 in reported losses.
• People 60 and over: 10,188 complaints and $584,032,745 in losses in 2025, against 7,626 and $389,312,356 in 2024.

Separately, the FTC said in May 2026 that reported romance scam losses rose 22% in 2025. IC3 and the FTC collect different reports, so don't add their numbers together. In a December 2021 alert, IC3 named "the elderly, college-aged students, and newly immigrated individuals" as groups targeted for mule recruitment.

What do Tinder, Hinge and Bumble say?

Each app's pages, read in October 2026, warn about money. Only Hinge mentions receiving it: "As a rule it’s best to never send or receive money via a wire transfer, money order, currency exchange, gift card or investment. Not for any reason. Ever."

Tinder says: "Don’t make investments or open accounts with someone you matched with or through services or websites they recommend." Bumble says: "If a match asks for money, Block and Report them immediately." Report a match who wants to route money through you. The same goes for Facebook Dating.

Helping a friend or parent

A parent moving money for an online partner may be losing their own money while passing on someone else's. The DOJ says mules receive money "from victims, many of them elderly."

Start without blame. Help with the first steps: stop the transfers, call the bank together and keep the messages. You can file the IC3 report for them; how to report a romance scammer covers how. If they are 60 or older, the National Elder Fraud Hotline gives them a case manager.

Before your next match

Most matches are who they say they are. Keep one rule: no money passes through your accounts for someone you've only met online. If a match's story doesn't add up, start with the email or phone number they gave you. TrulyWho looks for their public profiles and usernames in about a minute, and adding a photo shows whether it turns up on other pages under other names. The broader warning signs are in signs of a romance scammer and when a scammer won't meet in person.

FAQ

What does it mean if someone is a money mule?

It means they move money for someone else, and the money came from crime. The CFPB says a money mule "receives and moves money that came from victims of fraud." Some know what they are doing. Others don't: IC3 says unwitting mules believe they are helping a romantic partner or an employer. In a romance scam, the match often sends money to you to pass on, or asks you to open accounts or crypto wallets in your name.

What are the red flags of a money mule scam?

A match you've never met asks you to receive money and send it on, keep part as a gift, open an account, company or crypto wallet in your name, buy gift cards or crypto with their money, reship packages, or share your login or ID. The Secret Service adds a partner who says they can't open a bank account and asks to use yours. The DOJ says anyone met online who asks you to send or receive money is likely recruiting a mule.

I think I've been used as a money mule. What should I do?

Stop moving money and stop talking to the person. Don't send money you still hold back to them, the DOJ says. Call your bank, tell them what happened and consider changing accounts. Keep the messages and receipts. Report the profile to the dating app, then report at ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If law enforcement contacts you, talk to a lawyer. This is general information and not legal advice.

How do I report a money mule scam?

Report it at ic3.gov, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, and at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Tell your bank or payment app, and report the profile to the dating app. If anything went through the mail, the Postal Inspection Service takes reports at uspis.gov/report. People 60 or older can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11. IC3's FAQ says you will not hear back from IC3, because it doesn't investigate. It passes reports to law enforcement.

What is a money mule warning letter?

It is a letter from federal law enforcement telling someone their activity is helping fraud. In the most recent national results we found, dated May 10, 2024, the DOJ said agencies served about 2,970 such letters and acted against over 3,000 money mules. The letters outline what can happen if the person keeps moving illegally acquired money. The DOJ says many mules begin as victims of romance or lottery scams. If you get one, stop moving money and talk to a lawyer. This is general information and not legal advice.

Can you go to jail for being an unwitting money mule?

It is possible. IC3 said in December 2021 that mules can face prison, a fine or community service, even if unwitting. The FBI's money mule page, read in October 2026, says mules can be prosecuted for money laundering conspiracy. The DOJ said in May 2023 that its actions aim to punish people who knowingly helped and to advise people who didn't know. Its initiative page says each case depends on its facts. Stop as soon as you suspect. This is general information and not legal advice.

What is an example of a money mule romance scam?

Maya and Daniel are invented for this example. Daniel, a match Maya has never met, says his investor can't pay him abroad. He asks her to receive the payment, keep a bit for her trouble and send the rest to his supplier. Later he asks her to open a second account. When her bank calls about the deposits, the right move is to tell the bank the truth and stop.