‘Naive’ student helped launder €9,000 after fraudster contacted her on Snapchat

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A leaving Certificate student allowed a fraudster she met on Snapchat use her accounts to transfer €9,000 in crime proceeds, a court heard.

Rachel Ibiyode (20) was “naive and reckless” when she agreed to get involved in return for €600, after being assured it was “perfectly legal”.

Judge David McHugh gave her a three-month suspended sentence.

Ibiyode, of Willsbrook Drive, Lucan pleaded guilty at Blanchardstown District Court to money laundering on dates in January and February 2021.

Garda Sergeant Maria Callaghan said in one incident, the victim received a text message claiming to be from the Bank of Ireland stating that his account had been compromised.

The text said funds had been withdrawn without permission and advised the man to click a link to log into his account.

When he did this, his details were given to an unknown person who gained control of his account and transferred money to number of other accounts including the accused’s.

On that occasion, €1,000 was transferred to Ibiyode’s account and it was withdrawn immediately.

In the other incident, the alleged victim was contacted by telephone by a person claiming to be from Allied Irish Bank. This woman was told her account had been compromised and she would have to log in to secure it.

In doing this, she gave access to a person who transferred €8,000 into Ibiyode’s post office account. Again, the funds were withdrawn.

The accused had no previous convictions.

Ibiyode was 18 years old at the time, in her Leaving Certificate year and found herself in financial difficulty, her solicitor Fiona Brennan said.

A person approached her on Snapchat telling her this was a “perfectly legal thing to do” and when she queried it, she was sent videos of people saying it was legal. She gave her account details to the person.

When her bank card was declined, she went to the bank and told them there was a problem with it and was “fully forthright”.

Judge McHugh said the accused struck him as an intelligent person and not an “innocent abroad.”

Ms Brennan said Ibiyode had been “naive and reckless” and accepted she should have made more enquiries.