Students heading back to college are being warned of the risks of becoming money mules.
New FraudSMART figures show there's been a rise of almost 50 per cent in the use of money mule accounts.
Most of these bank accounts belonged to those aged between 18 and 24, with some as young as 15.
If convicted of such crimes, it can be hard to get a car loan or get into America or Australia on J1s.
Banking and Payments Federation Head of Financial Crime, Niamh Davenport says students need to avoid delving into this criminality:
"So you're talking about seven years in prison, prosecution means no visa for travel, whether it's to the States or to Australia or the likes".
"You also won't be able to apply for car loans or student loans and you'll have difficulty getting jobs in the future."
