You have been warned to beware of becoming a money mule — with South Africans now increasingly targeted by international syndicates. A money mule, according to the SA Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric), is someone who is conned into using his or her bank account to launder money.

But how do you know if you’re about to be used, and how can you identify a ‘money mule’ advert?

These adverts or offers can take a variety of different forms and they may even copy a genuine company's website and register a similar web address to add authenticity to the scam, Sabric says.

Attractive commissions

The ads will normally state that they are an overseas company seeking "SA representatives" or "agents" to act on their behalf for a period of time. The advert may be written in poor English with grammatical and spelling mistakes and they may urge you not to inform the bank or the police about the reason for making payments.

The adverts usually say that you will be paid your commission upfront and the commission rate is generally very attractive. Often there is a huge emphasis on client service and this is used to encourage speedy response to instructions to channel funds to the criminal’s identified point for payment.

• Fraudsters contact prospective victims with "job vacancy" adverts via spam emails, letters, newspaper job adverts, internet chat rooms or job search web sites. Jobs are usually advertised as a "financial manager" and suggest that no special knowledge is required.

• Positions on offer sometimes include "SA representative", "shipping manager", "financial manager" or "sales manager". They offer you the chance to earn some easy money for a few hours’ work each week, usually just requiring that you have access to the internet.

• After you’ve being recruited by the fraudsters, as a money mule you’ll receive funds into your account and you’ll then be instructed to withdraw the money and send it overseas using a money-remitting (transfer/ moneygram transfer) service, minus a certain commission payment.

• Be wary of any unsolicited offers or opportunities for work, especially if the company is based overseas ;
  
• Verify the details of any company that you consider dealing with and never give your bank account details to someone you don't know or trust;
  
• Contact your bank immediately if you think that you may have become involved in a money mule scam;
  
• If you see an opportunity to make some easy money and the offer seems too good to be true, then it probably is;
  
• If you have received any money mule emails, then please delete them and do not respond to them or click on any of the links they contain;
  
• If you have already responded to any the emails and/or provided any banking or personal information, contact your bank immediately.