Fake jobs, easy money and money mules

When you are 16 to 19, offers of quick cash for 'just using your account' or 'simple online tasks' can sound tempting. Some of these turn you into a link in a money-laundering chain, and the consequences fall on you, not the person who recruited you.

What a money mule is

• The FBI defines a money mule as someone who transfers or moves illegally acquired money on behalf of someone else. Some know they are helping criminals; many do not.
• Typically, money arrives in your account and you are asked to send it on to another account, often overseas (ADCB).
• The FBI says criminals often target students, people looking for work and people on dating websites.
• UK Finance reported 5,819 cases in 2018 of 14 to 18 year olds in the UK using their bank accounts for money muling, a 73 per cent rise over two years. Young people are approached online, at school, at college or through sports clubs.
• Mule activity is illegal even if you did not know it was a crime (FBI).

How the offer is disguised

• An unsolicited message promising easy money for little or no effort (FBI).
• A 'job' where you receive money into your account and forward it, or receive packages and reship them. The FTC says reshipping goods is never a real job.
• Someone asks to 'borrow' your account, card or banking app, or to open a new account in your name to receive and transfer money for them (ADCB, FBI).
• A stranger says money was sent to your account 'by mistake' and asks you to send it to a different account. Do not spend or move it: keep it untouched, report it to your bank, and remember that genuine reversals go through the banking system. Dubai Police warn never to transfer money to strangers (Khaleej Times, 2025).
• An online 'romance' or new friend asks you to receive and pass on money (FBI).

What the UAE authorities say

• Abu Dhabi Police warned the public not to let others manage their bank accounts or move money through them, saying it may expose the account holder to legal consequences. In the case they described, the money came from drug trafficking that the account holders did not know about (Gulf News, 2021).
• A head of prosecution at Sharjah Public Prosecution said in 2026 that 'there is no legal concept of renting a bank account', that account holders, facilitators and people who transfer money may all be treated as perpetrators, and that ignorance of the law is not an excuse (Gulf News).
• The same prosecutor warned that even small amounts can lead to serious consequences, and that banks may question transactions that do not match a customer's declared income (Gulf News).
• ADCB warns that mules can face criminal prosecution, loss of funds and damage to their credit record.
• UK Finance notes that people caught muling usually have their bank account closed and may then struggle to open another account or get a phone contract or credit.

Fake jobs and task scams

• Honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job (FTC).
• No honest employer will send you a cheque to deposit and then ask you to send part of it on (FTC).
• The UAE Ministry of Interior has warned about fake platforms promising daily earnings for simple online tasks, and advises checking any platform on the Securities and Commodities Authority website first (Gulf News, 2025).
• dubizzle warns of foreign employers offering extremely high salaries in its jobs section. Unrealistic pay for little work is a red flag.
• Before accepting any offer, search the company's name with 'scam' or 'review' and talk it over with someone you trust (FTC).

How to protect yourself

• Never let anyone else use your bank account, card, banking app or UAE Pass, for any reason, including friends and relatives.
• Refuse any job that involves using your own bank account to move money (FBI).
• If unexpected money lands in your account, do not touch it. Tell your bank and ask for a reference number (Khaleej Times, 2025).
• If you are already involved, stop and tell a trusted adult and your bank now. Getting help early is far better than waiting.
• Report suspicious requests to your bank or the police (ADCB).