One of the fraud techniques that fraudsters have used since the past is to use or rent someone else's bank accounts. This method has become widespread especially recently in these periods when we are in the digital age. Fraudsters; university students commit crimes through these bank accounts by contacting people experiencing financial difficulties, claiming their bank accounts and taking their cards for a certain commission, and these account holders become prime suspects. In fact, this situation has gone so far that even their relatives are complicit in this situation and cause them to become victims.
Most of those who complain about this situation do not know that their accounts will be used in crime. Scammers say, “Money will come from someone close to me”, “I have a foreclosure on my account, let the money come to your account.”, “I trade so that you have 10% of the payment.” He approaches bank account holders, whom he tries to bring into his network with lies, excuses and deceptions. Let's try not to fall into this network of scammers.
It is extremely difficult to distinguish whether persons who use their accounts without knowing it during the investigation and trial phase are innocent, and it is often not possible to conduct a very effective investigation in this regard. Therefore, in order not to fall into the position of suspect or accused, do not make your bank accounts available to anyone else in any way. When you share your IBAN number with someone in good faith, if money comes to your account by someone you do not know or trust, immediately return it to the same account.
Often, by issuing false advertisements, perpetrators who receive money from victims using someone else's account are subject to investigations that are subject to fraud through information systems because they carry out their actions through these accounts. As money is transferred to these accounts by many people, a separate file is opened after each complaint, and there are years of financial and spiritual difficulties. In order not to experience such victimization, you must be extremely careful and do not share or use your accounts with anyone.
What is Money Muling?
It is a method of money laundering. A bank account holder is a person who takes money from a bank account from a third party and transfers it to someone else, or takes a commission for it by taking it out in cash and giving it to someone else.
Even if the money account holder is not directly involved in the crimes that generate the money (cybercrimes, payment and online fraud, drugs, human trafficking, etc.), they are complicit in the fact that they launder the proceeds of such crimes. Simply put, money mules help criminal organizations remain anonymous while moving funds around the world.
In our country, while more fraud crimes are committed with account leasing, we see that black money is also used to enter the system. In Turkey, especially in the case of one of the countries where illegal betting is the most prevalent and where illegal money enters the system, legal bank accounts are used. In this context, bank account holders and especially through digital currency platforms are introduced into the system.
The perpetrators who first receive photocopies of identity under the pretext of applying for a job through the money payment system reach the persons with various excuses and then activate their accounts by receiving 1TL from these persons. In this way, the perpetrators can transfer money as they wish through the accounts that become active.
Although the principle of the personalization of penalties implies that the account holders did not participate in the crime are made by lawyers, the punishment is imposed by the courts. However, in a decision issued by the court of appeal, an acquittal was issued on the grounds that the account holder could not be held accountable without question and had no criminal intent. But each file in itself will be evaluated according to the concrete event.
In yet another non-prosecution decision, it placed responsibility on the victims who had been defrauded in fraud cases and did not file the case.
In summary, do not use your accounts to these malicious people, acquaintances, in order to satisfy your needs in any way. Otherwise, it means that you will face irreversible and huge legal responsibilities.