Money mules: Most targeted at teenagers and young adults

Cifas told BBC Newsbeat he saw social media as a “key facilitator” for recruiting money couriers, while the NCA says TikTok and Instagram were “very prevalent” in the cases it investigated.

Meta, which owns Instagram, said it was working with UK banks and investigators to combat scams and stop criminal activity.

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

Snap Inc., Snapchat’s parent company, said it routinely records suspected illegal content and makes it available to authorities upon request.

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

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

“If you are given an opportunity that says you can get rich quick, there is no legitimate business that will allow that,” he says.

“No one will need to access your bank account, so report it.

“But better yet, don’t go there in the first place.”