Prague police have arrested a man who allegedly posed as a police officer and scammed a victim out of half million crowns. Authorities say the fraud nearly cost the victim an additional 200 thousands, but investigators intervened in time.
According to the police statement, in late March, the victim was contacted through WhatsApp by an individual claiming to be a police officer.
The scammer provided what appeared to be an official police ID and falsely told the victim that his bank account had been compromised, and someone was trying to fraudulently obtain a loan in his name.
Convinced by this story, the victim reportedly applied for a loan himself, withdrew the cash, and handed it over to another accomplice, posing as an employee of the Czech National Bank (ČNB), in front of a bank branch in Dejvická street, Prague 6.
After this first encounter, the victim was instructed to apply for another loan. However, he became suspicious and contacted his bank directly, where employees informed him that he had been scammed. He immediately reported the fraud to the police.
Police investigators then instructed the victim to continue communicating with the scammers. The following day, when the fraudster returned to collect the second payment, police officers arrested him immediately after the handover.
The suspect, a 20-year-old foreign national, is currently in custody. Police say, he and a 24-year-old accomplice face charges of fraud, a misdemeanor punishable by up to five years in prison.
Authorities warned the public that scams of this type are on the rise, causing millions in damage. They emphasized that banks and police never conduct official business or financial transactions through messaging apps such as WhatsApp.
People are advised to verify information directly through bank hotlines or police stations.
Leave a Reply