Gardaí in Mayo have issued a warning to young people to avoid becoming 'money mules'.
Speaking at the December meeting of the Joint Policing Committee (JPC ) of Mayo County Council, Detective Superintendent Joe McKenna appealed to young people 'who in particular are vulnerable', to not get caught up in such schemes.
He said that scammers will target second and third level students, through the likes of social media, to ask them to allow their bank accounts to be used to move money through.
He warned that banks will notice thousands of Euro appearing in an account and will freeze them and 'the only way to get them unlocked is through the Gardaí'.
Superintendent Gabriel Moran added that being caught up in such a scheme can have long-lasting consequences for people, which can see financial institutions 'not facilitating people holding bank accounts in the future'.
