Money Mules: Teenagers and young adults who are most likely to be targeted

Cifas told BBC Newsbeat it sees social media as a “key tool” for recruiting money mules, while the NCA says TikTok and Instagram are “very common” in cases it investigates.

Instagram owner Meta said it was working with British banks and investigators to fight fraud and stop criminal activity.

TikTok said that in the spring of 2024, it removed 95.9% of videos that violated its fraud and scam policies before they were reported.

Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc. said it regularly stores suspected illegal content and provides it to authorities upon request.

The NCA said its work led to the arrest of 48 money mules in a month this autumn.

Nick Sharp, deputy director of the National Economic Crime Centre, told BBC Newsbeat that cases were “increasingly” leading to arrests.

“If you’re given a get-rich-quick opportunity, there’s no legitimate job that will do it,” he says.

“No one will ever need access to your bank account, so if they do, report it.

“But better yet, don’t go there at all.”