17-year-old boy gets 18 months in juvenile detention for theft via phishing text messages

A 17-year-old boy has been jailed for 18 months for phishing scams via text message. Half of that prison sentence is suspended. The boy also has to pay back 126,000 euros that he stole from victims.

The boy sent bulk text messages to thousands of phone numbers via online tools. These were text messages sent on behalf of ING. The victims clicked on a link to a counterfeit ING website and entered bank or credit card details.

The text messages stated that victims’ bank accounts had been blocked. “Your ING has been placed in the quarantine zone and must be re-verified. Avoid Blockade and follow the steps,” the perpetrator wrote.

Police launched an investigation after several victims filed a complaint. An iPhone X was seized during a house search. It contained WhatsApp conversations in which the boy bragged to others about his actions. There would also have been 53,406 phone numbers in files on the phone. According to the court, the boy sent between 30,000 and 60,000 text messages per month.

The judge said there was clear evidence that the boy was guilty. For example, there was the information from the telephone, the timeline of various victims is correct, the IP address came from the perpetrator’s home address and there are similarities in the texts he wrote. “The suspect has not wanted to give an explanation for all this, while this cries out for an explanation,” the judge said.

In total, the boy of six victims managed to steal 126,000 euros. He transferred these to accounts of ‘money mules’, third parties who make their accounts available. According to the judge, the suspect committed ‘a structured form of crime’, which is appropriate for a ‘significant custodial sentence’.