People under the age of 30 make up the majority of those arrested on suspicion of money laundering in the UK, with students, including foreigners, considered a particularly vulnerable group. This conclusion was reached by researchers from Cardiff University and the University of the West of England.
The article is published on the Cardiff University ORCA website.
The researchers have analysed for the first time the volume of money laundering offences detected by police in England and Wales. The data, obtained from 36 police forces following Freedom of Information requests, covers the period from January 2020 to January 2025.
During this period, 14,493 arrests were made for money laundering offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. 8,956 of the arrests were made by people under the age of 30. In total, the police have laid 7,735 charges in such cases.
Interviews and surveys with officers from the regional organised crime units and the City of London Police have shown that young people, especially students, are becoming attractive targets for criminal groups, who recruit them as so-called “money mules”.
“Money mules” are people who transfer money obtained through criminal means through their bank accounts, helping criminals hide its origin and making it more difficult for law enforcement agencies to track it down.
According to the researchers, students may be particularly vulnerable due to financial difficulties, lack of awareness of the risks and the ability of criminals to manipulate them. At the same time, it turned out that it is impossible to determine the exact number of students among those arrested.
The researchers also drew attention to a gap in British legislation. Universities and other higher education institutions are not included in the list of organizations that are subject to anti-money laundering rules. In particular, these norms oblige regulated organizations to report to the British National Crime Agency any suspicions of money laundering and terrorist financing.
According to the authors of the study, because of this, law enforcement agencies receive a limited amount of information from universities. As a result, attention is often focused on individual participants in the schemes, while the activities of organized criminal networks remain less visible.
The research also revealed significant regional differences. The highest number of offences under Section 327 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 were recorded in Greater Manchester with 570 cases, followed by Merseyside with 566 and Leicestershire with 485. They were followed by the Metropolitan Police with 404 cases and Devon and Cornwall with 327.
The National Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment 2025, prepared by the UK Home Office and the Treasury, also identified schools and universities as emerging vulnerabilities. Among the reasons, the authorities cited the international reach of educational institutions, the significant financial flows through them and relatively weak controls.
At the same time, the problem concerns not only adults. According to the Ministry of Justice, 108 minors and 420 young people aged 18 to 24 were convicted of money laundering during the same period.
The authors of the study call for stronger cooperation between the police, universities and the financial sector, improved information sharing and increased resources to combat financial crime.
Law enforcement agencies, for their part, warn that participation in money laundering schemes cannot be considered a “harmless” crime. Funds related to drug and arms trafficking, human trafficking, and child exploitation can pass through such networks.
