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A 24-year-old university student is warning young Jamaicans to be extra careful about accepting money into their bank accounts for other people, even if the request seems harmless.

The woman, who appeared in the St Catherine Parish Court on a charge of fraudulent conversion by means of false pretence, told THE STAR that she narrowly avoided punishment after deciding to help someone she admitted she is "not close with".

"Mi never expect say something like this would have happened to me," she said, still shaken by the ordeal. "He reached out to me and explained his challenges and that he needed to urgently pay his rent. I was touched by the situation and agreed to help out because I would receive the money the same day with bank to bank transfer."

But weeks after the money reached her account, things took a dark turn. The complainant, a man who said he paid for a phone he saw advertised on TikTok but never received, went to the police and the bank transfer was traced back to the student. Unbeknownst to the student, her 'friend' had allegedly been running a fake phone sale scam on TikTok.

"I was so shocked and afraid, it took a while to really process what was happening. When mi find out how serious it was I tried to reach him and can't get him," she said. According to the student, the complainant agreed to allow her to pay back the money - $70,000.

"Imagine if I was guilty? It would have put me in an uncomfortable position if I were to apply for anything in the future. I would have a serious offence on my record for something I never do. So, nobody would trust me. Nobody would want me in their establishment or their organisation because it was a matter of fraud. If I was found guilty, more than likely I would have to either spend four years in prison or pay [the fine of] $4 million," she said.

She said the situation was a wake-up call and encouraged persons to be careful and do their background checks.

"You can't just trust people," she urged. "Even if you trust somebody, try other ways of helping before you do anything like this."

According to Jamaica Constabulary Force statistics, between January and April 2025, there were over 1,100 reports of fraud-related offences, a 15 per cent increase over the corresponding period last year. The Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigation Branch has repeatedly warned about TikTok and Instagram scams, especially those involving electronics or 'get-rich-quick' schemes, which often pull in innocent third parties as money mules.