Online dating scam victim laundered $20k in international fraud

A Queensland man looking for love online got more than he bargained for when he was roped into laundering more than $20,000 by a woman he met on a dating website.

A Caboolture man looking for love online got more than he bargained for when he was roped into recklessly money laundering more than $20,000 by a woman he met on a dating website as part of an international scam, a court heard.

Andrew Glen McMahon thought he was transferring the cash to help a Ukranian woman he met on the Plenty of Fish website in her efforts to relocate to Australia.

But the court heard police discovered he unknowingly laundered thousands of dollars swindled from a Hong Kong real estate agent who thought she was refunding the money to one of her rental tenants when she unwittingly transferred it to scammers.

The Brisbane District Court heard McMahon had been given an official warning by police in late 2019 over a separate transaction for the same Ukranian woman who said she needed the cash to pay for an Australian visa.

But despite the warning, the now-49-year-old went on to transfer $23,534 which had been scammed by others from a Hong Kong woman in May 2020.

Director of Public Prosecutions legal officer Harriet Hall-Pearce said McMahon, a butcher and warehouse worker, was liable for transferring the money overseas knowing there was a substantial risk it was tainted.

She said he had no criminal history, had co-operated with police and pleaded guilty at an early stage.

“He claimed his motivation was friendship with the online contact and we can’t disprove this,” Ms Hall-Pearce said.

“He is a mature man and this is serious offending.”

Judge John Allen said McMahon had acted in the hope of furthering his friendship with the woman online.

“The transaction the subject of the charge arose when the woman and her brother told you they wanted to hire a lawyer to make a claim under their father’s life insurance policy and use the payout to obtain Visas to travel to Australia and they sent you a sum of money,” he said.

“You told police an unknown man turned up at your house and threatened there would be consequences if you didn’t transfer the money on and you did so.”

Judge Allen sentenced McMahon to 12 months’ probation, noting he was otherwise of good character and had a substantial work history.

“You are to be sentenced on the basis you transferred the entire amount on and did not gain any personal financial benefit,” he said.

“So you’re liable for transferring that money knowing there was a substantial risk the money was tainted or derived from some form of unlawful activity.”

McMahon pleaded guilty to an offence of money laundering recklessly.