Hackers worked their way into email conversations between a Dutch museum and a London art dealer to have millions erroneously paid to an account in Hong Kong, Bloomberg reports.

Representatives of Rijksmuseum Twenthe were negotiating a deal for a painting by English master John Constable from London's Simon C. Dickinson Ltd. The museum's director had seen the work at TEFAF Maastricht in 2018.

Imposters infiltrated the email exchange, posed as the dealer and got the museum to transfer 2.4 million pounds ($3.1 million) to a fraudulent bank account.

The museum contends that Dickinson representatives should have seen and noted the fraudulent activity during the email dialogue. While the museum claimed damages should be paid by the dealer, a court ruled for Dickinson on Thursday.

“Instead of accepting the reality of the situation, the museum has reacted by pursuing a series of hopeless claims against SCD [Dickinson], in the hope of pinning the blame for the museum’s mistake on SCD,” commented a lawyer for the dealer.

Currently, the museum holds the painting and Dickinson (or its consignor) has not been paid for the work. It is unknown whose email account was hacked or the identity and whereabouts of the hackers.