Police investigate multiple fraud and election interference cases in Central Europe

Authorities in the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, and other regions are responding to several distinct criminal incidents involving fraud and election interference.

In Mariánské Lázně, Czech police have charged a 43-year-old woman with interfering in municipal elections. She is accused of attempting to buy votes for the Naše Česko movement by offering financial rewards to voters and instructing them to send photos of marked ballots. The suspect turned herself in to police in Cheb, and the investigation is ongoing.

In Croatia, multiple elderly victims have fallen prey to telephone scams. One 83-year-old woman lost 4,550 euros after being deceived by a false story regarding a relative’s medical emergency. Another 79-year-old woman in the Vinkovci area lost several thousand euros after scammers posed as family members and doctors claiming an urgent need for surgery funds.

In Slovakia, police are investigating a case where a woman was defrauded of 58,700 euros through a cryptocurrency investment scam. The perpetrator convinced her to hand over her mobile phone and payment card via a courier.

Other reported incidents include a doctor in Olomouc, Czech Republic, who lost over 31,000 CZK to a fake medical software invoice, and a 71-year-old man in Croatia who lost significant funds following a cryptocurrency-related scam.