A third of British people would apply for a job as a “money mule”, with some even going ahead if they knew it was to launder cash, a survey from Santander shows.

Among additional findings the survey found that only 15% spotted that a fake advert for a financial transaction control analyst at a fictitious company transferring funds to accounts was actually for a money mule. However, once they heard the job was a front for criminal activity, 7% said they would accept it.

The figures come just months after a report uncovered that in the nine months to September 2017, there were 8,652 cases of 18-24-year-olds becoming “money mules” in the UK. According to Cifas, the UK’s fraud prevention service, young people are targeted because they are often the most vulnerable, as criminals know they are often short of money, the Mirror said.

One out of three British people would apply for a job as a money mule

A third of British people would apply for a job as a “money mule”, with some even going ahead if they knew it was to launder cash, a survey from Santander shows.