Child-in-need trick

Account for SMS crooks: money laundering trials in Vienna

Telephone fraudsters target worried parents and make them believe that their child is in need and that only a cash payment can help.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

A phenomenon of the smartphone society is keeping the judiciary busy: money laundering proceedings against people who make their bank accounts available for sly internet scams are piling up at Vienna's regional court.

The victims receive text messages from alleged sons or daughters in which they are asked to write a WhatsApp message to a number. They are then tricked into transferring money. The scam works in a similar way, using fake messages from Finanzonline.

Perpetrators are difficult to catch
The direct perpetrators can rarely be traced, as they are usually based abroad. The situation is different for the accomplices who - for a fee - make their accounts available to receive the transfers. The account holders withdraw and hand over the money and usually receive at least ten percent of the loot in return.

A 19-year-old who provided his bank details for a successful fraud attempt with Finanzonline last February received considerably less. The victim was tricked by a fake text message into believing that he could expect a refund from the tax authorities if he completed an online application. As soon as the application was sent with the fraudster's correct details, his account was emptied. Around 9400 euros ended up in the account of the 19-year-old, a school dropout with a serious drug problem. He withdrew the money and handed it over to a man of whom he only knew the first name, as he explained to Judge Daniela Zwangsleitner at the regional court on Monday.

19-year-old received 100 euros for money transfer
He should have received 100 euros for this, but only received half, the accused stated. "You negotiated badly," the judge remarked, "ten to 30 percent is normally already included." The 19-year-old, who was first convicted of a drug offense in 2022, said that he urgently needed cash for narcotics. Two more previous convictions followed. He has now been sentenced to 13 months for money laundering, although he will not have to serve the sentence for the time being. At the request of his defense lawyer Andreas Reichenbach, he was granted a provisional reprieve in order to undergo inpatient detoxification therapy. If this is successful, the 19-year-old will not have to serve the sentence imposed on him. The public prosecutor agreed with this procedure and the court decision is legally binding.

Almost at the same time, a few rooms away, proceedings were held against an unemployed 40-year-old man to whose account a woman had transferred almost 2900 euros in March 2024. She had fallen for a "Hello mom" text message. Believing her daughter was in distress, she transferred the amount in question to the account of the 40-year-old, who was unable to explain to Judge Philipp Krasa how the victim or the perpetrators had obtained his IBAN number. The father of five, who is not in regular employment, assured the court that he had nothing to do with the matter.

In fact, it is clear that the 40-year-old had never tried to withdraw the money from his account. Instead, his bank blocked his account and informed the police, as the sudden increase in assets raised suspicions of money laundering at the bank. The judge could not rule out the possibility that the defendant had nothing to do with the matter. He was therefore acquitted in case of doubt.