DETROIT — The Internal Revenue Service is warning about a new scam that is starting to become more common. They're called money mule schemes and IRS agents are working to identify and stop facilitators of them.
A money mule is someone that a person has recruited to transfer money on their behalf in an attempt to evade law enforcement.
The IRS says scammers can recruit people through social media, email spam or even on dating sites, often offering easy cash for transferring money through your bank account. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Angelo Horiates III encourages people to be alert when receiving messages from strangers.
"Be careful with unsolicited emails or social media messages, people approaching you and they're promising easy money for little to no effort," said Horiates. "As we all know, nothing in life is easy. And somebody to offer you money with little to no effort should raise a concern."
The IRS criminal investigation unit recently launched a new initiative to help identify and prosecute facilitators of those money mule schemes.
If you think you're a victim of a money mule scheme, you're asked to report the situation to your local IRS office or online through the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, which can be found at www.ic3.gov.
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