Cybersecurity
Fraudsters Posing as Art Dealer Got Gallery to Pay Millions
- Rijksmuseum Twenthe says dealer Simon Dickinson owes damages
- Museum paid $3.1 million into Hong Kong bank for Constable art
Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede, Netherlands.
Source: Google Maps
Hackers posing as a veteran London art dealer tricked a Dutch museum buying a John Constable painting into paying 2.4 million pounds ($3.1 million) into a fraudulent bank account.
Scamming their way into the middle of months of negotiating emails between Simon C. Dickinson Ltd. and Rijksmuseum Twenthe, the imposters persuaded the museum to transfer the funds to a Hong Kong account. The Enschede, Netherlands-based museum suffered a setback in its lawsuit Thursday, when a judge ruled against its claim for damages.