DUBLIN, Ireland: Nearly 9.4 million euros was funneled through so-called "money mule" accounts in Ireland in the year to June 2025, according to new figures released by FraudSMART, the fraud awareness initiative of the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI). The illicit transfers typically ranged between 5,000 euros and 10,000 euros per case, highlighting the scale of a problem authorities say is increasingly targeting young people. Detective Superintendent Michael Cryan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau said that money mules are essential to the operations of transnational crime groups. The "Don't Be a Mule" campaign, supported by AMLÉ (formerly the Union of Students in Ireland), targets students returning to campuses, where recruiters often seek out financially vulnerable young people. FraudSMART's research found that 47 percent of young adults had never heard the term "money mule," and over half admitted they did not understand what it meant.