4:00 PM Wednesday Mar 23, 2011

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10714454

People caught in global money laundering scams have been warned they could be prosecuted and face up to seven years in jail.

The warning came from Waikato police after a Hamilton woman, who answered an internet job offer, had $9000 deposited in her bank account.

She was told how to move the money to an offshore account but the bank intervened and stopped the transaction.

Detective Sergeant Dave Grace, from the Waikato CIB, said the $9000 had been defrauded from another account holder by an offender who used a Trojan virus. The money was put back in the original bank holder's account.

Mr Grace said the money was put into the woman's account as a money laundering move.

The woman was "genuinely somewhat ignorant of it all" and was not charged.

However, Mr Grace said it was in effect money laundering which involves moving illegitimate funds so they can be distanced from illegal activity and people found to be involved in such activity can face stiff penalties.

He said each case would be treated on its own merits but under the Crimes Act people could go to prison for up to seven years if they were convicted.

"Our message is clear.

"If you are the recipient of a large amount of funds, funds well in excess of what you are anticipating, or funds from a person you have no knowledge of, then the odds are that there is something untoward happening.

"If you deal with those funds you may well be guilty of a money laundering offence."

Last week Waikato police warned about off-shore scams claiming to be banks or government departments who had overcharged clients. Mr Grace said victims were asked to send an administration fee to an account via Western Union with the promise of large refunds.

He warned people to be wary of unsolicited emails, telephone calls and texts promising large windfalls.