‘Don’t be Fooled’ campaign launched to help prevent students from becoming money mules

The Yorkshire and Humber Regional Fraud Team is giving its backing to the ‘Don’t be Fooled’ campaign to help prevent students from becoming money mules.

Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK) and Cifas are behind the ‘Don’t be Fooled’ campaign which launched last year with the aim of deterring students from becoming money mules by educating them about what the term means, how criminals operate and why they are a target.

FFA UK is responsible for leading the collective fight against financial fraud on behalf of the UK payments industry. Cifas is a not for profit fraud prevention membership organisation.

As part of the campaign, Detective Sergeant Jason Barron from the Regional Fraud Team gave a guest lecture to criminology students at the University of Huddersfield on Wednesday (18 April). During the guest lecture DS Barron spoke to the students about his role within the police service, the campaign including help and advice and the role of the banking.

Presentations were also delivered by representatives from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank, (Michael Lea-Smith, Fraud Customer and Colleague Education Specialist), Lloyds banking Group, (Lisa Finnan Senior Fraud Investigator, Complex Fraud Team, Post Application Fraud) and Crimestoppers, (Lydia Patsalides, Region Manager,  Midlands). 

DS Barron said: “To really get our message across it is very important that we work together to have the maximum impact.

“Partnership working like this with the University of Huddersfield and the banking sector really helps to get the important message across.”

“Money muling is an issue that many might not be aware of, but this straight-forward tool kit helps to better understand the issue to help all students at Universities across Yorkshire and Humber and the rest of the country better understand the risks and how to avoid them.”

Work is also being carried out internally across the four Yorkshire and the Humber forces (West, North and South Yorkshire and Humberside). The guest lecture was organised by Dr Leanne Monchuk (Senior Lecturer in Criminology) and Dr Carla Reeves (Subject Leader in Criminology). Dr Monchuk said “This guest lecture was an excellent opportunity for our students to find out more about money muling and to hear about the work being undertaken by Yorkshire and Humber Regional Fraud Team. Guest lectures are a fantastic way for our students to meet with practitioners and to help them better understand how their academic learning translates in practice. I’d like to thank all the presenters for taking time out of their schedules to deliver this guest lecture.

 

For more information visit www.moneymules.co.uk