The High Court of Justice of Galicia (TSXG) has confirmed a one-year prison sentence for a university student who acted as a “bank mule” in a fraud scheme. The defendant, a Madrid resident with academic training in Korean philology and fashion, was found to have facilitated a scam that defrauded a resident of Vigo of approximately 6,800 euros using the “son in distress” method.
The student claimed innocence, stating she opened two bank accounts in exchange for commissions after meeting a man in an electronic music WhatsApp group, asserting she did not realize the accounts would be used for criminal activity. However, the TSXG rejected this defense, noting that her sociocultural profile and education provided sufficient capacity to understand the risks involved.
The court ruled that providing identity and banking credentials to strangers for opaque operations constitutes criminal intent, as it ignores the minimum diligence expected of a citizen and assumes a high probability of the funds' illicit origin.