Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce (a) the prevalence of money mules and (b) other financial exploitation.

The Government is committed to working with law enforcement, regulators, and the financial and third sectors to address and prevent the harms associated with money mule networks and related financial exploitation.

The Home Office published the Money Mules Action Plan in March, which is a first of its kind, cross-sector action plan. The Plan balances deterrents and safeguarding measures to disrupt money muling while protecting the public from related harms. It brings together cross-sector innovations, including public awareness materials on the risks of money muling, initiatives from the financial sector to identify mule networks, and law enforcement work to target criminals.

The Government also recognises the devastating impact financial and economic abuse can have on victims. Economic abuse more widely is recognised in law as part of the statutory definition of domestic abuse included in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. The government continues to promote awareness of economic abuse to improve the public and private sector’s response, particularly working with the specialist charity Surviving Economic Abuse to strengthen financial systems and support victims.