Woman from Olomouc lost 2.5 million in investment fraud
A fraudster promised to grow 5,000 crowns into 440,000. A woman from Olomouc ultimately handed him 2.5 million crowns, which she borrowed from banks and acquaintances.
Woman from Olomouc lost 2.5 million in investment fraud
A fraudster promised to grow 5,000 crowns into 440,000. A woman from Olomouc ultimately handed him 2.5 million crowns, which she borrowed from banks and acquaintances.
An attractive online advertisement promising high returns on financial investments proved fatal for a senior citizen from Olomouc. In April of this year, a man posing as a banker contacted her. He persuaded her to grant him access to her mobile phone screen via the WhatsApp application. He subsequently installed several applications for cryptocurrency wallets and internet banking.
"After an initial investment of five thousand crowns, the false adviser told her that her profit amounted to nearly 440,000. To access this money, she had to carry out a series of financial transactions via various accounts and digital wallets according to his instructions," described the procedure police spokesperson Jaroslav Herzán.
The victim was so manipulated that she began borrowing money from banking and non-banking entities, and even from her friends. Once she obtained the funds, the fraudster instructed her to make cashless transfers or to hand over cash to couriers.
After some time, the woman realised she had fallen victim to fraud and reported everything to the police. During the investigation, it emerged that she had one more meeting with a courier planned. The security forces detained the man. However, it turned out that he was not the perpetrator, but rather another victim from the South Moravian region who had been deceived. This woman had also believed the false investment offer.
The woman told police that she did not have her own funds for investments, and therefore requested a loan from her bank. When they refused, the false banker suggested an alternative solution. She told her that she had secured a loan from a non-banking entity for her. The cash was to be handed over by a particular woman in Olomouc. The injured party therefore travelled by train to the Moravian capital, where the financial transfer took place. Only later did she discover that she too had been defrauded.
The police are investigating the case on suspicion of fraud. If the perpetrator is apprehended, he faces up to eight years in prison.
Source: Novinky.cz
Source: Novinky.cz