Father and son condemned in Leiria for "Hello dad, hello mum" scams to two years and nine months
Two men aged 25 and 58 were condemned by Leiria Court to effective imprisonment for six counts of qualified fraud, in a scheme involving fraudulent messages.
Leiria Court condemns father and son duo for message-based scams against relatives
Two men, father and son, aged 25 and 58, were condemned by Leiria Court to a single sentence of two years and nine months of effective imprisonment for six counts of qualified fraud, one of which in attempted form. The ruling, dated Monday, was made public this week, according to Correio da Manhã, which obtained access to the document through the Lusa agency.
The panel of judges refused to suspend the sentence for both defendants, who were already in preventive custody. The Court also declared the forfeiture of advantages obtained through the crimes, in the total value of 5,114.97 euros, condemning both to joint payment of this amount to the State.
Scheme using prepaid phone numbers
According to the ruling, the defendants decided, from 17 June 2024, to act "by common agreement, in combination of efforts, wills and intentions, dividing tasks between them". The method consisted of sending mobile phone messages impersonating children, relatives or friends of the victims, inducing them to make bank transfers or payments, convinced that they were satisfying requests from close ones.
To this end, the defendants used "phone numbers/cards corresponding to prepaid numbers, without registration of identifying elements of the holder", directing payments to bank accounts specified by them. In cases of payment via MB WAY, a mobile phone number associated with an account held by the father was used, with the amounts being subsequently transferred to other accounts of the defendants and third parties.
The judicial document emphasises that "the defendants acted knowing that they were using a process suitable to mislead the recipients of the messages, namely by making them believe that they were engaging in written conversations with their family members and that these were requesting payments from them, which did not correspond to reality", adding that father and son acted to obtain "gains to which they knew they had no right".
Victims in various parts of the country
The ruling lists the six frauds committed: the lowest value corresponded to 265.45 euros and the highest value to 2,805 euros, totalling 5,114.97 euros. The victims lived in different locations across the country.
The defendants, who were lodging in a residential establishment in Caldas da Rainha, were arrested in July 2025. Following a house search, the Judicial Police seized various computer equipment used in committing the frauds. The Criminal Investigation Department of Leiria conducted the investigation.
In a statement, the PJ explained that the suspects "sent fraudulent messages, impersonating the victims' children or relatives, in an emergency situation, with the aim of leading them to carry out bank transfers". The judicial authority added that this criminal activity constituted the main means of subsistence for the two men, with no known employment link or legitimate income.
Criminal records and money laundering accusation
Both defendants have criminal records. The Public Prosecutor's Office had accused them of six counts of qualified fraud, one of which attempted, and also of money laundering. The Court, upon issuing the condemnatory ruling, also declared the forfeiture of the values obtained illicitly, reverting the amount to the State. The defendants became subject to a bail and residence condition.
Source: Correio da Manhã