A BANK worker who claimed he carried out a £75k fraud after being forced by shadowy “dark web” criminals has been spared jail “by the skin of his teeth”.

Dayne Lynn said he fell prey to the unknown individuals who targeted him because of his job.

The 22-year-old had earlier become “curious” about the “dark web” having watched a TV show about it.

He joined an internet chat forum - and ended up being stupid enough to reveal some personal details.

This included his role on the fraud team Lloyds bank at Glasgow’s Atlantic Quay and he has since been sacked.

A sheriff heard he was eventually ordered to swindle from two accounts and transfer cash to the mystery crime gang.

Lynn, from Irvine, North Ayrshire pleaded guilty to, while acting with others, embezzling and attempting to embezzle a total of £74,600 from Timothy Evans and Stuart Bryce’s accounts on July 18, 2016.

Sheriff Martin Jones QC said “There’s no satisfactory explanation as to why a young man of his intelligence simply didn’t press the button and switch off.”

He told Lynn’s lawyer Ross Yuill: “There’s only one ting stopping him going to prison and that is that nobody lost any money.”

The sheriff handed Lynn a community payback order for 18 months with the conditions he is supervised, will carry out 240 hours unpaid work and will be in his bail address between 8pm and 7am for six months.

He told Lynn: “You have made it by the skin of your teeth.”

Mr Yuill said Lynn’s involvement was as an employee of the fraud team.

He explained that others involved “overcame banking security” and made the transfers, which Lynn authorised when they came to him as a flagged up account.

Mr Yuill said Lynn claimed he was “fairly certain” the next level of security after him would prevent the payment actually being made but “he would not face any repercussions because he had carried out his part”.