Justice Department Says It Halted Over 600 ‘Money Mules’ Used in Fraud Schemes

Justice Department Says It Halted Over 600 ‘Money Mules’ Used in Fraud Schemes
The Justice Department seal is seen on the lectern during a Hate Crimes Subcommittee summit in Washington, on June 29, 2017. Mark Wilson/Getty Images
|Updated:

The Justice Department (DOJ) said it took action to stop over 600 “money mules” from assisting in fraud schemes that steal money from victims and forwarding the proceeds to perpetrators overseas.

Officials said on Wednesday that over a two-month period authorities were able to disrupt mule activity that spanned over 85 federal districts and mainly victimized senior citizens. The actions addressed a variety of elder fraud schemes including grandparent scams, romance scams, and lottery and sweepstakes scams, the department said.