Can a legitimate employer ask me to receive client payments into my personal bank account and forward them?
No. This is the defining feature of a money mule arrangement, which is illegal and can result in your bank account being closed and your facing criminal charges.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
Legitimate businesses receive payments into their own corporate accounts. They do not recruit employees to receive funds on their behalf into personal accounts and then forward them, minus a commission. Any 'employer' proposing this arrangement is using you as a money mule — a person whose account is used to move the proceeds of crime.
Money mule recruitment often uses convincing job postings for remote financial processing roles, payment handling positions, or 'account manager' titles. The pay is attractive — often a percentage of each transaction — and the work seems simple. But the funds flowing through your account are stolen money from fraud victims, and you are facilitating their laundering.
In most jurisdictions, you can face criminal prosecution for money laundering even if you claim not to have known the money was stolen. Banks that detect suspicious transaction patterns close the account and may add the holder to industry fraud databases, preventing future account opening.
If you are ever asked to receive money on behalf of an employer into your personal account and transfer it elsewhere, refuse and report the 'employer' immediately.
Common red flags
- Job involves receiving money into your personal bank account
- Asked to deduct a commission and forward the remainder
- Employer explains this is to avoid high business transfer fees
- Transaction amounts are large and irregular
- Job was found through an unsolicited email or social media approach
- Employer is difficult to verify through official business registries
What to do now
- Refuse the role immediately
- Report the job offer to the platform where it was found
- Report to your national fraud and financial crime authority
- If you have already received and forwarded money, contact your bank immediately
- Seek legal advice if you have already participated in any transfers
- Report to your national police economic crime unit
Frequently asked questions
Am I responsible if I did not know the money was stolen?
Claiming ignorance is a defence in some circumstances, but courts assess whether you should reasonably have known the arrangement was suspicious. The lack of a legitimate business reason for routing funds through personal accounts is a significant factor.
What happens to my bank account if I am identified as a money mule?
Banks close accounts involved in suspected money laundering and may report the account holder to regulators. Industry-wide databases can flag your name, making it difficult to open accounts at other banks.