Residents of Antigua and Barbuda are being cautioned that attractive job offers circulating on social media may be recruiting them as unwitting participants in financial fraud schemes, according to Antigua Observer.
Vaughn Brathwaite of the Antigua and Barbuda Montserrat Bankers Association raised the alarm during an appearance on Observer AM, warning that fraudsters are increasingly employing a tactic known as "mulling" to launder stolen funds through ordinary residents' bank accounts.
Brathwaite explained that the scheme typically begins with social media advertisements promising substantial returns for a small initial deposit. Such offers may claim, for example, that a deposit of $100 or $200 could yield returns of $20,000 or more. Victims are subsequently asked to hand over their bank account details.
"Persons are being used, not necessarily knowing that they're being used in that way," Brathwaite said. "They figure they're getting a job, and they're being paid."
Recruits typically receive money into their accounts, retain a portion as payment, and forward the remainder to the fraudsters — often with no awareness of the serious legal consequences involved.
"Now that is a crime, if persons are not aware of that," Brathwaite cautioned.
The warning was issued in connection with the upcoming National Cybersecurity and Fraud Prevention Forum, a collaborative initiative bringing together the Central Bank, law enforcement agencies, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and telecommunications providers to tackle the rise of cyber-enabled fraud.
Officials stress that the advisory applies to anyone approached with an unusual or urgent financial request. Residents who feel uncomfortable when asked to share account details or a verification code sent to their phones are urged to halt the transaction, contact their bank directly, and report the incident to the relevant authorities.
