Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium were victims of a phishing scam that resulted in the theft of more than €17,000 [1].
The case highlights the vulnerability of high-profile individuals to digital fraud and underscores the persistence of SMS-based phishing attacks. Because the victims are members of the royal family, the incident has drawn significant attention to the security of royal financial accounts.
The fraud took place at the end of 2021 [2]. Criminals utilized a fraudulent SMS-based phishing scheme to trick the royal couple into revealing sensitive banking details [3]. Once the attackers obtained the necessary information, they were able to transfer funds from the couple's accounts [3].
Reports indicate that the stolen amount was approximately €17,000 [1]. Some accounts suggest that funds were also taken from a dotation account, which is a specific type of royal allowance account [4].
The legal proceedings regarding the theft were handled in the correctional court of Leuven [5]. The court case sought to address the criminal actions of the perpetrators who orchestrated the digital theft from the royal accounts [5].
Phishing remains a prevalent threat across Belgium and Europe. This specific attack relied on social engineering, where the victims are manipulated into trusting a fake communication to bypass security protocols. The use of SMS, often called "smishing," allows attackers to reach victims directly on their mobile devices, bypassing some of the filters typically found in email systems.
“Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium were victims of a phishing scam that resulted in the theft of more than €17,000.”
This incident demonstrates that neither wealth nor social status provides immunity to social engineering attacks. By targeting the royal family, the perpetrators showed that standard phishing tactics—specifically smishing—can penetrate the personal security circles of high-profile figures. The prosecution in the Leuven correctional court serves as a public record of the financial risks associated with mobile banking, and the ongoing challenge of recovering funds stolen via digital fraud.
