United States law enforcement has taken action against some 2,300 money mules as part of the third annual Money Mule Initiative, a multiagency effort to disrupt the networks that fraudsters use to transfer proceeds of their illicit activities.

Money mules are the people who help criminals by receiving money from victims and sending it to fraud organizers located in the US and abroad. Some do this knowingly; others are unaware they're helping to perpetrate crime.

In the last two months, the US Department of Justice, FBI, US Postal Inspection Service, and other federal law enforcement agencies went after money mules involved with lottery fraud, romance scams, government imposter fraud, tech support scams, business email compromise, and unemployment insurance fraud, much of which targeted elderly or vulnerable populations.

In taking action against 2,300 money mules, this year's initiative far surpassed last year's effort, which took action against more than 600 money mules. 

Read the full DoJ release for more details.