Two arrested for recruiting money mules in text scam investigation

The garda investigation relates to €64,000 stolen from nine customers of an Irish banking institution who got a scam text message

The arrested men are currently detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007 in Clondalkin and Ronanstown Garda Stations, where they can be held for up to seven days. Picture: Dan Linehan

Gardaí in Dublin have arrested two men as part of an ongoing investigation into cyber-enabled fraud and money mule recruitment.

Officers attached to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB), assisted by gardaí from Lucan, arrested two men, aged 19 and 20, this morning.

The pair are suspected of being involved in cyber-enabled frauds, the recruitment of money mules to transfer cash, and the laundering of the proceeds of these frauds.

Gardaí said that between August 13 and November 16 of last year, nine customers of an Irish banking institution had some €64,000 stolen from their accounts after responding to a fraudulent text message.

The individuals believed the 'smishing' scam message had come from their bank.

The stolen money was then transferred between the accounts of people acting as money mules and later withdrawn from a number of ATM machines.

On the back of investigations into the scam, gardaí conducted three searches in the Lucan area of Dublin this morning.

Following the searches, two men were arrested for offences contrary to Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006.

Both are currently detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007 in Clondalkin and Ronanstown Garda Stations, where they can be held for up to seven days.

This morning’s arrests bring to 11 the total number of people arrested to date as part of the ongoing garda investigation.