If a remote “job” pays you to receive money into your personal bank account and then forward most of it elsewhere, especially by cryptocurrency or wire transfer, stop. You’re being used as a money mule to launder stolen or fraudulently obtained funds. A cheque or e-Transfer that shows as available in your account isn’t final proof it’s real; banks can reverse a fraudulent deposit weeks or months later, leaving your account negative and your banking relationship damaged. Moving money you know, believe, or were reckless about being proceeds of crime carries real criminal exposure, not just financial risk.
What’s actually happening: you’re the trace-breaker, not an employee
Per the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s guidance on job scams, a common pattern involves a fake employer hiring you as a “financial officer” or payment processor: you receive funds by e-Transfer or wire into your own account, then forward most of it, often by cryptocurrency, to a “company representative.” The money you received is typically stolen from a compromised account or taken from another fraud victim entirely. Per RCMP reporting on money mule networks, criminals recruit people this way deliberately, sometimes through fake job offers or online relationships, specifically so the person moving the money may genuinely believe they’re helping a friend or doing legitimate work.
Waiting for a cheque to “clear” doesn’t fully protect you
It’s reasonable instinct to wait before forwarding anything, but that instinct undersells how long a reversal can actually take. Per Canada.ca’s guidance on cashing a cheque, banks are required to make cheque funds available within a set number of business days, but that availability isn’t the same as the deposit being final. A cheque discovered to be fraudulent can be reversed from your account well after that initial hold period ends, in some cases up to 90 days later or more. Seeing the money as “available” in your balance is not the same as it being confirmed real.
This carries real criminal exposure, not just financial risk
Under Criminal Code section 462.31, laundering proceeds of crime is committed by someone who deals with property knowing, believing, or being reckless as to whether it was obtained through crime; it’s an indictable offence carrying up to ten years. Genuine, first-time victims with no real reason to suspect anything are typically treated as victims, not prosecuted. But the “reckless” standard matters: continuing to move money after red flags appear, being asked to use your own personal account for someone else’s funds, forwarding by crypto or wire, no real employment paperwork, is what turns an innocent mistake into real legal exposure.
Red flags that mean stop immediately
- Being hired entirely over Telegram or WhatsApp text, with no real interview.
- No tax forms, like a TD1, and no written employment agreement.
- Being asked to receive funds into your personal bank account that aren’t your own pay.
- Being told to forward money by cryptocurrency or wire transfer.
- Being told to keep a portion and send the rest along quickly.
What to actually do
- Don’t forward any funds, even if the deposit shows as available in your account balance.
- If you’ve already received suspicious funds, contact your bank immediately and don’t spend or move any of it.
- Report the scam to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and to local police.
- If the “employer” becomes aggressive or threatening when you hesitate or ask questions, treat that reaction itself as confirmation this isn’t a real job.