Fake Portál občana site: Czech police seek Ukrainian fraudster

Czech police are searching for 24-year-old Ukrainian native Roman Roman. According to investigators, he created a fake version of the Citizen Portal (Portál občana) website, gained access to the bank accounts of several people and withdrew about 400,000 crowns from them. Police spokesman Jan Daněk announced the manhunt on Wednesday.

How the scheme worked

According to detectives, the suspect built web pages that were indistinguishable from the official Citizen Portal login screen. People entered their details there, and the fraudster gained access to their bank accounts. “After entering their username and password, the suspect gained access to the victims’ bank accounts and then unlawfully withdrew money from them,” Daněk explained.

Police say he transferred the stolen funds to a bookmaker account and then withdrew them in cash. Investigators put the total damage at roughly 400,000 crowns.

What the suspect faces

A court has already issued an arrest warrant, and police intend to ask for the man to be remanded in custody. He faces up to six years in prison for money laundering and fraud.

The suspect’s whereabouts are unknown. According to available information, he may be not only in Czechia but also in any Schengen country. Police ask anyone with information about his location or movements to call the emergency line 158.

How to protect yourself from such traps

Schemes like this may become more common in the coming weeks: fraudsters benefit from the pre-Christmas rush, when people let their guard down and miss warning signs. Here are six rules to protect yourself:

1. Type the address in manually. Open the Citizen Portal only via portal.gov.cz or obcan.portal.gov.cz. Do not trust links in emails and text messages, or paid search results.

2. Check the whole web address. Scammers copy the design of government websites and use similar domains. A padlock icon alone does not guarantee that a site is genuine.

3. Don’t give in to pressure. A demand to log in immediately or face a fine or lose your right to a benefit is a red flag. Verify such a demand directly with the agency concerned.

4. Read what you are approving in your banking app. Logging in with bank identity does not require you to approve a payment or add a new device. Reject any unexpected request.

5. Never share passwords or confirmation codes with anyone. That includes anyone who claims to be a banker or an official, and never install remote-access software at their request.

6. If you suspect something, call your bank right away. If you entered your details on a dubious website, contact your bank on its official number and ask it to secure your account, then report the incident to the police.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz