Need a hand?

"I saw a post on social media for a 'Payment Processing Assistant'. It sounded perfect for a student. I just had to receive money into my account, keep 10%, and send the rest to a crypto wallet. I did it 3 times and made PLN 300."

"Then my account was blocked. I found out the money was stolen from someone else’s account. Now I have a fraud marker on my file, I've been kicked out of university, and I can't even get an account or a phone contract."

This situation occurs when a person is recruited to use their personal account to receive and transfer stolen money. This rarely looks criminal at first. Instead, it is often disguised as a legitimate home-job offer, an investment agent role, or even a request from someone you have met.

The pitch is almost always the same: you receive a payment into your account, keep a small percentage as a 'commission' or 'fee', and then transfer the remaining balance to a different account or buy cryptocurrency with it.

Even if you are unaware that the money is the proceeds of crime, by allowing your account to be used this way, you are legally participating in money laundering. Criminals use mules to create a 'break' in the digital trail, making it harder for the police to track stolen funds back to the source.

• Ignore 'Easy Cash' job ads: Be extremely wary of job descriptions that involve 'processing payments', 'transferring funds', or 'acting as a local agent' for an overseas company. No legitimate business will ever ask an employee to use a personal account to handle company money
• Beware of social media requests: Scammers often target students and young people on social media with ads promising 'Quick Cash' or 'Same Day Payouts'. They may also pose as a friend-of-a-friend who 'can't access their own account' and needs you to receive a refund for them

• Your account is for your money only: This is the golden rule of personal finance. Never allow anyone else to use your account, regardless of how much you trust them or how desperate their story sounds. If you move stolen money, you are the one held legally responsible for the transaction
• Research every opportunity: Before accepting any role that involves handling money, search for the company name online alongside the word 'scam'. If the business has no physical office, no registered phone number, or a very recent website, it is likely a front for criminal activity