Fraud - Intercepting business and personal cheques in the post on a nationwide basis

Detective Superintendent Gerard Walsh was in studio to discuss a recent investigation involving criminals that intercept business and personal cheques in the post on a nationwide basis.

       
These cheques are then altered by changing the name of the payee and in some cases the cheque amount.

The altered cheques are then lodged into ‘money mule’ bank accounts. These are bank accounts that have been opened or bought by criminals to lodge the fraudulent cheques. The bank accounts are often bought from students or others leaving the country.  The going rate to buy a bank account is believed to be about €100.

 
The cheques are lodged to the ‘mule’ bank accounts at express lodgment machines in bank branches across the country.

The Garda Fraud Bureau of investigation are currently investigating sixty incidents of this scam carried out at financial institutions across Ireland.
 

Detective Superintendent Walsh showed the attached image of a person they wish to identify as a part of a current investigation.