Every UPI account gets a Mule Score (0–100) computed from a live transaction graph. Scores above 90 trigger automatic blocking — before funds reach the fraudster.
A mule account is a bank or UPI account used by fraudsters to receive stolen funds and redistribute them — making the money harder to trace. The account holder is often an unwitting recruit who was paid a small fee to "receive and forward" payments.
The fraud only becomes visible when you look at the pattern — not a single transaction, but the full network of who sends money to this VPA, and where those funds go next. A single mule account may touch dozens of victims before funds are cashed out.
Five additive signals. Scores are computed from vcurd's live NetworkX transaction graph — updated with every new transaction.
Many unique senders routing money to this VPA. Mule accounts accumulate inbound flows from multiple victims simultaneously.
Many unique receivers from this VPA. Funds are rapidly fanned out to multiple accounts to obscure the trail.
VPA's registered location is in one of 34 MHA Cyber Crime Portal red-zone districts — Jamtara, Mewat, Deoghar, and others.
The PAN linked to this VPA has more than 2 hard bureau pulls in 72 hours — a loan-stacking signal indicating identity misuse.
A SIM-swap was recorded for the mobile number linked to this VPA within the past 7 days — account takeover indicator.
Scores are additive. A VPA with high in-degree + high out-degree in an MHA district scores 70 — automatically flagged. Add bureau velocity → 85. Add SIM-swap → 100, auto-blocked.
| Score Range | Label | Action | Alert |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 59 | CLEAN | Transaction proceeds normally | No alert |
| 60 – 89 | FLAGGED | Alert raised. Manual review required before disbursement. | Medium priority alert created |
| 90 – 100 | BLOCKED | Auto-blocked by rule engine. Transaction rejected immediately. | High priority alert + analyst notification |
These districts are publicly identified by India's Ministry of Home Affairs as concentrated sources of cyber fraud activity.
See how vcurd's graph-based mule scoring works on your transaction data.