Elderly Czech victims lose up to 112,000 CZK in phone and SMS scams

Czech police reported several large‑scale fraud schemes targeting senior citizens. A 75‑year‑old woman from Olomouc was convinced a stranger could release foreign funds and transferred 112,000 CZK, while a 77‑year‑old woman sent 131,000 CZK after a fake WhatsApp request from an alleged son. A 32‑year‑old man from Prostějov paid a 39‑CZK fee on a counterfeit delivery‑company site, after which the fraudster withdrew about 93,000 CZK from his account. In Štětí, a woman lost more than 44,000 CZK when a scammer pretended to be her daughter with a “broken phone” and asked for urgent invoice payments.

Police warn that these scams often use urgent language, false identities of relatives, or promises of large payouts, prompting victims to disclose banking details. The offences are being investigated as fraud, unauthorized computer access and document forgery, with potential prison sentences of three to eight years. Authorities advise anyone receiving unexpected payment requests to verify directly with the alleged sender, avoid clicking links in SMS messages, and report suspicious activity immediately.