ING Groep NV can’t be found negligent for failing to stop money transferred to the perpetrator of the “Tinder Swindler” scam, a Dutch court ruled.
A Swedish woman said the bank had breached its duty of care by not blocking the transfers she made to a person who then sent the funds onto Simon Leviev – an Israeli conman who is said to have tricked a string of women he met on dating sites into parting with millions of dollars to help fund a lavish lifestyle that attracted more victims.
ALSO READ: The price of love: Pandemic fuels romance scams
The elaborate scam, which is estimated to have stolen US$10mil (RM44.51mil) from victims, was detailed in a hit Netflix documentary earlier this year. Leviev was ultimately arrested in Greece for travelling on a fake passport and extradited to Israel where he was convicted of fraud. He served just five months of a 15 month sentence and is living a free man.
He is wanted for fraud and forgery offences by Norway, Sweden, the UK and Spain, according to reports.
ALSO READ: Hong Kong waitress arrested in connection with online romance scam that duped US lawyer out of US$2.6mil
The Amsterdam court ruled on July 27 that “the bank carried out sufficient investigation and that it did not know that third parties, like the Swedish woman, were potentially at risk”.
The Swedish claimant has been ordered to pay the costs of the legal proceedings of €2,356 (RM10,718). – Bloomberg