From a WhatsApp 'Hello' to a Rs 1.87 Million Scam: How Fraudsters Used Nepali 'Money Mules' to Launder Stolen Funds

Kathmandu. It began with a simple WhatsApp message saying, "Hello." Days later, fake photos of gold jewelry, iPhones, branded clothes, and other expensive gifts supposedly sent from the United Kingdom convinced a woman from Sankhuwasabha to transfer nearly Rs 1.9 million, her lifetime savings, to fraudsters.

But according to a charge sheet filed by the District Government Attorney's Office in Sankhuwasabha, the case extends far beyond one victim's financial loss. Investigators say it exposes a sophisticated cross-border cyber fraud network that allegedly exploits vulnerable Nepalis as "money mules" by using bank accounts opened in their names to launder stolen funds.