Gardai have identified around 3,000 money mules working for international organised crime gangs across the country, the Irish Mirror can reveal.
Investigators from the National Economic Crime Bureau have seen an “explosion” of people being recruited by mobs over the past year – with many secondary school students among them.
A money mule is someone who transfers illegally-obtained cash between accounts for others.
The gangs behind smishing texts, the fake phone calls pretending to be from state agencies, or those behind invoice redirect fraud all recruit teams for the IT network and to make bogus calls.
Having identified around 3,000 mules, the GNECB has made hundreds of arrests.
Det Supt Michael Cryan said money mules are the key to gangs.
The senior Garda added: “Where that money ends up is abroad – it goes to warzones, it pays for terrorism, it pays for people smuggling and people trafficking.
“Every time you see a boat in the Mediterranean and you see 30 or 40 poor immigrants have drowned, that boat was paid for by the proceeds of fraud.
“Every time there is a terrorist bombing, the money mule has contributed to it in some way. Fraud finances lots of different crime types. Without the money mules, the gangs cannot cash out.
“It’s all well and good stealing money from your account and moving it into this account – you have to move it out very quickly
or it will be recalled or frozen by the bank. So you need an endless supply of money mules.”
In most cases, college students are being targeted, but secondary school pupils are also picked.
The average age of people being enlisted in Ireland is 19 but those as young as 14 up to those in their 40s are getting lured in too.
Det Supt Cryan said: “Money mules traditionally, it is believed, were recruited in colleges.
“Colleges were closed for a year and there’s been an explosion of money mules over the past year.
“They are also getting younger, as young as 14 or 15 years of age.
“They are being recruited mainly on social media.”
The top cop urged parents to be on the lookout for warning signs of kids being dragged into the crime.
Among the flags are opening bank accounts, strangers at their home and expensive goods.
He added: “Most kids know when they are in too deep and can’t see a way out.
“Come forward and tell the truth. Don’t wait for the early knock on the door by the gardai with a search warrant.”
