Gardaí prevent loss of €1.8m in operation targeting money mules

Almost 700 ‘money mule’ accounts and six recruiters were identified by gardaí here, and 71 people arrested

The Europol-led operation ran across 26 countries and almost 700 money mule accounts were identified in Ireland by gardaí. File Picture.

Gardaí launched 200 investigations and prevented the loss of €1.8m as part of a worldwide Europol-led operation targeting ‘money mules’.

A money mule is a person who transfers illegally obtained money between different payment accounts, often in different countries, on behalf of others.

Almost 700 ‘money mule’ accounts and six recruiters were also identified by gardaí here, and 71 people were arrested as part of the ‘Emma6’ operation, which ran from September to November.

Running across 26 countries, more than 4,000 money mules were identified, 422 arrests were made, almost 230 recruiters were identified and a loss of €33.5m was prevented.

This week, Europol and EU law enforcement authorities, including An Garda Síochána, together with international partners and financial institutions will launch the #DontBeAMule campaign to raise awareness among the public on the risks of money mule schemes.

Did you know that making profit by receiving & transferring money for someone else makes you a money mule?

This is money laundering. It’s a crime.

Police & financial institutions have joined forces to launch #DontBeAMule, a global awareness campaign.

🚨 https://t.co/gvZxbZbNmN pic.twitter.com/pUySCt5X7v

— Europol (@Europol) December 2, 2020

The public, particularly students and younger people, are advised to never authorise any individuals or groups to use their bank account, ATM card, or pin number.

According to An Garda Síochána, there are consequences to doing so, including arrests, charges and convictions for persons acting as money mules for organised crime groups. A conviction of this type carries a potential prison sentence of 14 years, could affect visa applications or place a person on terrorist watch lists, and can affect credit rating and vetting applications. 

"In addition to this, the money mule is aiding international organised criminal groups and enhancing their capability to make money," a garda spokesperson said.