Princess Claire and Prince Laurent lost more than €17,000 to phishing and money laundering.
On 23 December 2021, Princess Claire received a text message claiming to be from Card Stop, alerting her that her bank card needed to be blocked.
Having lost her card days earlier, the message seemed credible, prompting her to click the link and access a fake website.
Once there, she entered personal details to identify herself, but ended the session when she grew suspicious.
By 4 January 2022, her cards were unusable. Contact with her bank confirmed she had fallen victim to fraud.
The stolen amount, exceeding €17,000, was siphoned from both Princess Claire and Prince Laurent's personal accounts and three other accounts under her authority.
Investigations revealed the funds were transferred between 1 and 4 January 2022 to various Belgian accounts. Some of the money was subsequently spent at a nightclub and at Fnac in Marbella, Spain.
Telephone records led investigators to suspect J.Y. of sending the phishing message.
Further analysis of bank transactions, call logs, house searches, and mobile phone data identified five defendants charged with computer fraud and money laundering.
Prosecutors in the Leuven criminal court allege the group offered their bank accounts to launder the stolen funds.
A 15-month prison sentence is being sought for key suspect M.C., while 12-month sentences are requested for the four other defendants.
One defendant became emotional in court, denying involvement and claiming their bank card had been stolen. This individual has yet to secure legal representation, while another defendant was absent due to illness.
The court in Leuven will resume hearings on 28 September.
