Gardai have issued a warning against "money mules" who are targeting young people's bank accounts.
The Garda Campus Watch Creating Fraud Awareness campaign has commenced today and will run until Friday May 31.
In the 2019 FraudSMART survey, it was revealed that over 43% of 18-24-year-olds are either likely or very likely to lodge or transfer money for someone using their own bank account in exchange for keeping some of the money for themselves.
This means they are the age group most susceptible to becoming money mules.
Results from the survey also found that 14 per cent of people aged between 18-24 say that they or someone they know have already been asked by another person to use their personal bank details to hold money for someone else.
Detective Inspector Catharina Gunne from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau said: "A Money Mule is a person who transfers money illegally on behalf of other people."
"They allow their account to be used for the transfer of ill-gotten gains. They may or may not be aware of the crime.
"However, they are complicit if they recklessly allow their account to be used to launder the proceeds of these crimes."
"Students are often targeted by organised crime gangs to act as money mules, laundering thousands of euro through their accounts in exchange for a few hundred euro."
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The advice that Gardai have issued is as follows:
- Don't let anyone else use your bank account.
- Don't share personal bank account data.
- Don't send or receive money.
- Trust your instincts - if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
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