A woman from the Kroměříž region lost almost CZK 750,000 on the internet. According to police, an unknown perpetrator, who pretended to be an American wine merchant, extorted it from her. He now faces up to five years in prison for fraud, police spokeswoman Barbora Balášová declared.
From last September to mid-January this year, the 33-year-old woman transferred nearly three-quarters of a million crowns to various bank account numbers. “The victim was contacted via Messenger, later Hangouts, by an alleged American wine merchant saying he wanted to meet her. He communicated in Czech, sometimes in Slovak. The messages and photographs he sent won the woman over to his side,” the spokeswoman said.
According to detectives’ findings, the scammer asked the woman if he could have a package sent to her address, to which she agreed. “She told him what address to send the package to. She was subsequently emailed instructions for a total of five payments. She proceeded as instructed and sent the amounts given. However, she currently has neither the package nor the funds. The unknown perpetrator faces up to five years in prison for the crime of fraud,” Balášová said.
Police warned that fraudsters use various legends and practices to extort money from unsuspecting people. They perform under different identities. They may be US soldiers, doctors, lawyers, sailors, civil servants, or artists. Police are therefore urging people to be cautious.