Money mules: Counsellors say young people lured by promises they won’t get in trouble with the law
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Young people think they are not harming anyone by being a money mule, unlike other illegal activities, said one counsellor.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
SINGAPORE - Scam syndicates have lured young people to become money mules
Mr Narasimman Tivasiha Mani, co-founder of Impart, a non-profit organisation for youth at risk, said most of the young money mules he has counselled come from families with precarious backgrounds.
These include growing up in poverty or coming from a broken family, said Mr Narasimman, who counselled Zack, Irfan and Kezrin (not their real names), among others.
Zack, 19, is currently out on bail after he was caught in 2021 working as a money mule. He was recruited by someone on Telegram.
Irfan, 18, was roped in by friends in school. He was given a stern warning by the police when he was caught for working as a money mule.
He now volunteers with Impart as a youth advocate.
Kezrin, 23, was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail on Aug 3 for selling his Singpass credentials to someone he had met on Telegram and for an unrelated offence of voluntarily causing hurt.
HUG Community Services founder Jeffrey Mak, who has over 10 years’ experience working with at-risk youth, said he has also encountered money mules who come from well-to-do families. “They still did all these things because they were seeking attention; (they felt) nobody cared about them.”
Care Singapore director Lena Teo, who has counselled young people involved in money mule offences, said that unlike other illegal activities such as being a loan shark runner, young people think they are not harming anyone by being a money mule.
“To them, it is so straightforward. I am not robbing, punching, carrying weapons, how would you say this is a crime?” she said.
Mr Narasimman said more can be done to educate young people on this topic, adding: “It is the responsibility of adults to educate the young people... we can share a lot more information with them (to) prevent the misinformation that is out there.”
Impart is starting a foundational financial literacy curriculum for its youth, while HUG Community Services is planning to hold a dialogue with students on money laundering.
In response to The Straits Times’ queries about efforts to educate young people on money mules, a spokesman for the Ministry of Education (MOE) said students are taught financial literacy through various subjects, such as food and consumer education, and the character and citizenship education curriculum.
The spokesman added that polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education students also learn to identify and avoid scams and fraud in their mandatory financial education modules, and university students can gain financial education through course modules.
MOE will continue to work with the police and other agencies to promote anti-scam messages through talks and programmes.
The police said they have been raising public awareness about the consequences of being money mules through regularly sharing advisories and running educational campaigns.
Mr Mak of HUG Community Services said parents can look out for signs of trouble, such as when their children suddenly buy new or branded goods. But Ms Teo of Care Singapore said parents have to be curious, not interrogative.
For example, instead of demanding to know how their teenager got an expensive new pair of shoes, they can compliment the purchase and ask where they got it from, before asking them about the source of money.
Ms Teo said: “Some young people don’t trust that when they go to their parents, their parents will be supportive without reprimanding them. Parents have to correct them while helping them to feel safe.
“If there is good rapport, they will tell you everything because they know it is safe to come back to you.”
Zack had a strained relationship with his mother, who is separated from his father. His mother told ST that she knew about Zack’s run-ins with the law, but was busy with work and marital issues.
The 48-year-old earns $2,000 a month as an assistant childcare teacher. She is the caregiver to Zack and his sister with special needs, and also pays for a domestic helper, utility bills and a home loan.
Seeing Zack struggle with depression in the midst of his police case prompted her to be more involved in his life.
“It is one of my deepest regrets that I did not sacrifice for my children. I realised that actually, Zack’s life is more important than anything else,” she said, adding that she is mending ties with her son.
