Joint initiative aims to protect local students from money mule scams

The Gibraltar Financial Intelligence Unit (GFIU) and Department of Education have launched an initiative aimed at educating university students about the dangers of becoming money mules and how to protect themselves against organised crime groups.

This initiative is part of the GFIU’s outreach program ‘Project Nexus’.

“Money mules are individuals who are exploited to transfer illicitly obtained funds and present significant risks to financial institutions and their clients,” said a statement from No.6 Convent Place.

“This activity not only helps criminal networks but also places victims at significant legal risk.”

“With the increase of sophisticated schemes targeting vulnerable adults, particularly university students, this initiative seeks to provide essential knowledge and practical tips to help them avoid being exploited by criminals.”

The key objective of the initiative is to provide educational materials such as flyers, online resources and social media content provided by Europol to reach a wider audience and explain what money mules are, how they operate, and the consequences of getting involved.

Through the Department of Education, the GFIU will be able to teach young people how to recognise and avoid common recruitment tactics used by criminals, such as unsolicited job offers that promise easy money or requests to use their bank accounts.

“The GFIU recently launched an e-learning workshop on Money Mules circulated to professionals in our finance centre,” said GFIU Director Edgar Lopez.

“This outreach now focuses on potential victims and is designed as a preventative measure. University students are often targeted by organised crime groups because they may be less aware of the risks involved in seemingly harmless activities.”

“Although we are not aware of local students having been targeted, through our membership of the Europol Financial Intelligence Public Private Partnership (EFIPPP), we have access to the latest information on Money Mule schemes providing us with an invaluable educational resource."

Director of Education Keri Scott added that the partnership with the GFIU is underpinned by the Department’s continuing commitment to prioritise the safety and well-being of children and young people.

“By educating our young people about these dangers, we strive to increase their ability to critically evaluate risks and protect themselves more effectively. In this context, such heightened awareness will also help us to maintain the integrity of our finance centre,” she said.