Jobs and income · Also called money mule scam, reshipping job scam, package forwarding job, payment processing job, funds transfer agent job
Reshipping and money mule job scam
A reshipping or money mule scam hires you to receive packages or money and send them on, often as a work-from-home job or a favour for an online partner. The goods or funds come from other crimes, so you are helping to launder them, and you can lose your bank account or face criminal charges.
How it works
- You are recruited through a job ad, an unsolicited email or social media message, or an online relationship.
- The job is to receive packages and forward them, or to receive money into your account and pass it on by wire, gift card, or cryptocurrency.
- You may be told to keep part of the money as pay, or to open new bank accounts, crypto wallets, or a business in your name.
- The goods and money come from victims of other scams, and the accounts in your name may be used again for more fraud.
Red flags
- A job offers easy money for little more than receiving and forwarding packages or money.
- You are asked to receive company funds into your personal account, or to open a new bank account, business, or crypto wallet.
- Someone you met online, including a romantic partner, asks to use your account to receive and pass on money.
- You are told to keep a portion of the money you receive as payment.
If you are targeted
- Stop contact, and stop forwarding any packages, money, or other items of value.
- If you still hold money from the activity, do not send it on; tell your bank or payment provider what happened.
- Keep receipts, messages, and contact details so you can pass them to law enforcement.
- Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.
Prevention
For individuals
- Do not accept a job that asks you to receive company funds into your personal account or to open a business bank account.
- Never give your bank details, logins, or copies of your ID to someone you have not verified.
- Be wary of anyone you have only met online or by phone who asks you to receive and send on money or packages.
For organisations
- Banks can watch for new accounts that receive money and quickly send it on, and speak to the customer about money mule schemes.
- Couriers and marketplaces can flag addresses that receive many high-value parcels that are quickly reshipped abroad.
By the numbers
Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.
| Employment scam losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025 | $362.9M | US, 2025, FBI IC3 |
Real cases
No documented case in the atlas yet. New cases are added as they are sourced.
Delivered through: Email phishing, Social media ads and posts
How official datasets classify it
- FBI IC3
- Employment
- FTC
- Job Scams & Employment Agencies
- Scamwatch
- Jobs and employment scams
Questions
- What is a money mule?
- A money mule is anyone who moves money on behalf of, or at the direction of, someone else. Many are recruited through fake jobs or online relationships and do not realise the money comes from crime.
- Can I get in trouble if I did not know I was a money mule?
- You can. The FBI warns that money mules, even unwitting ones, can face charges, fines, and damage to their credit and banking. Stop, tell your bank, and report what happened.