Reformed fraudster reveals the hashtags that could land NI folk in jail

New research from Santander reveals that almost a quarter (23%) of adults would be tempted to click on a money mule recruitment post, while one in four (24%) under 25s admit to having previously engaged with such a post

One in ten have been directly approached on social media by a fraudster wanting to use them as a money mule - with 18% of those confessing to have gone ahead with the transaction

With the new academic year just around the corner, research from Santander and former fraudster Tony Sales has exposed the dangerous hashtags on social media being used by criminals to recruit innocent – and particularly young – people into becoming money mules: a crime which can result in a criminal record and even a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

The ten hashtags that could land you in jail:

1. #Moneyflipsuk

2. #legitmoneyflips

3. #PayPalFlip

4. #RealMoneyTransfers

5. #UkFlips

6. #EasyMoney

7. #MoneyFlipz

8. #cashappflop

9. #moneyflips

10. #CashLdn

Tony Sales, former fraudster, said: “The hashtags used to recruit money mules act as bait and form part of a secret language used to entice people into criminal activity. That’s why it’s so important to expose these hashtags for what they are – a fast track to a criminal record.”

Chris Ainsley, Head of Fraud Strategy at Santander, added: “It’s alarming to see not just how criminals prey on unsuspecting social media users, but how many people are unaware of what a money mule even is. It takes just a few clicks to become embroiled in this type of crime, but the consequences can have a lifelong effect.”