Knowledge of Money Laundering and Rationalization of Money Mule Job Acceptance: A Study among Higher Education Students in Malaysia

Mohanamerry Vedamanikam1 & Saralah Devi Mariamdaran Chethiyar2

Abstract
Students at higher learning institutions are among the favorite targets of money laundering syndicates in Malaysia. Criminals tailor job packages for students with attractive incomes and the requirement to use personal bank accounts is included as the job function. Driven by financial needs, instead of the criminal intention of using personal accounts, rewards become the element for students to rationalize job acceptance. The major disconnect is the knowledge of money laundering exposing the usage of personal accounts as a criminal intention for students to rationalize job acceptance. With situational crime prevention as the basis, this study intends to examine if knowledge of money laundering will stimulate rational thinking in deciding job acceptance and prevent victimization. Using a quantitative approach and
structured questionnaire containing a mixture of valid and money mule jobs, a survey
was conducted with students of higher learning institutions in Malaysia. Awareness of
money laundering was given to students after the pre-test. Based on the survey results,
up to 15% of students rejected the money mule jobs during the pre-test and after the
awareness, up to 97% of students rejected the money mule jobs. Results show that the
knowledge of money laundering can unveil criminal intentions and stimulate rational
thinking in deciding job acceptance.

Keywords: Money laundering, Money mules, Money mule recruitment, rational decision making, Crime prevention