SCARS Institute

IS IT A SCAM?

A SCARS Institute Scam Detection Diagnostic: Money Mule Scams
25 Yes-or-No Questions

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The SCARS Institute provides this diagnostic to help you find out whether someone is using you to receive, move, convert, conceal, or deliver money or property connected with crime. You can save your result to share with a trusted person, your bank, an attorney, or law enforcement.

Start or Continue

Twenty-five Yes-or-No questions in five sections. Most people finish in ten minutes. If you need to stop, your answers are saved at the end of each section under a resume code.

Start the diagnostic

You will receive a resume code so you can stop and return on any device.

Enter a resume code

Pick up where you stopped, or bring back a finished result from the past 90 days.

Before You Begin

This diagnostic checks whether another person, employer, romantic partner, online contact, investment promoter, or supposed business is trying to use you to receive, move, convert, conceal, or deliver money or property connected with crime.

Money mules create distance between criminals and the victims whose money was stolen. The mule's bank account, cryptocurrency wallet, business, address, identity, or location becomes a stop along the path of the stolen money. Some mules know they are taking part in crime. Many believe they are doing a legitimate job, helping a partner or friend, processing business payments, completing an investment, or forwarding money for someone in an emergency. Not knowing the purpose does not protect a person from financial loss, account closure, investigation, identity theft, or other serious consequences.

Answer alone. Do not ask the person requesting the transactions to help you answer.

  1. Answer Yes when the behavior has happened, even if the person gave a convincing explanation.
  2. Answer No only when the behavior has not happened, or when you verified the transaction and everyone involved yourself.

The result is a Scam Risk Index from 0% to 100%. It measures how closely your situation matches money-mule recruitment. It does not determine criminal intent, guilt, or legal liability.

Please Note. This diagnostic was developed by the SCARS Institute from its work with tens of thousands of scam victims. It is a crime-detection screening tool, not a psychological assessment and not legal advice. A high score identifies probable money-mule activity. A low score does not prove that a job, relationship, or transaction is legitimate.
Answer alone. Do not show these questions to the person requesting the transactions, and do not ask them for explanations while you answer. Your answers are saved in this browser as you go and to the SCARS Institute at the end of each section.
Why this matters
Answer Yes or No to continue
Save this result before leaving the page. Use the "Save My Results" button below. Your resume code also brings this result back for 90 days.
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Money Mule

— A money mule is a person who receives, transfers, converts, withdraws, transports, or forwards money or property on behalf of another person when the activity moves, conceals, or launders proceeds from crime. Criminals recruit money mules through romance scams, fraudulent jobs, investment schemes, business opportunities, emergency stories, online friendships, and requests to help someone who supposedly cannot access a financial account. Some participants knowingly assist criminal operations, while others believe they are helping a romantic partner, performing legitimate employment, processing customer payments, forwarding packages, or protecting money from theft, yet the participant’s bank account, cryptocurrency wallet, address, or identity becomes part of the criminal transaction chain. Money-mule activity exposes the person to financial losses, frozen accounts, repayment demands, identity theft, banking restrictions, and possible criminal investigation, which makes any request to receive and forward unexplained money or property a serious warning requiring immediate independent verification.

— Financial Crime Facilitation

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