In the Přerov region, a woman gave scammers 700,000 crowns — the courier was detained, but a judge released him

Police in the Přerov region have uncovered yet another investment fraud case: a local woman, lured by promises of easy investment profits, ended up handing over a total of 700,000 crowns to fraudsters. A courier who came to collect the third installment of cash was detained on the spot during the handover — but was released shortly afterward on a judge's order.

According to police, the story began in June, when the woman registered as a potential investor after seeing ads promising quick financial success. "She was then contacted by people whose goal was to fraudulently obtain money from her. On their instructions, she downloaded an app and transferred nearly 5,300 crowns as a fee and initial deposit," said police spokeswoman Miluše Zajícová.

After that, an unknown woman got in touch with the victim and persuaded her to invest 300,000 crowns. That same day, the victim handed over the sum to a courier who came directly to her home in a town in the Přerov district — the money was exchanged using a pre-arranged password.

Five days later, the same female scammer talked the woman into making another "investment" — this time 400,000 crowns — which she handed to a different courier right on the street in her town. A few days after that, the same courier turned up again to collect a third installment of 250,000 crowns.

By that point, however, the woman had begun to suspect something was wrong and went to the police before handing over the third sum. "Based on this information, officers waited together with the victim for the 25-year-old courier to arrive and detained him right at the moment the cash was handed over," Zajícová said.

The detained man was charged the same day with aiding and abetting fraud. The money he collected was meant to be passed on to another individual, whose identity has not been established.

The next day, the case file, along with the results of the abbreviated pre-trial investigation, was forwarded to the Přerov district prosecutor's office. A judge then issued a summary penal order on his own and released the suspect, the police spokeswoman said.

The exact punishment the young man received has not been disclosed. A summary penal order — which a judge is entitled to issue without a full trial when the facts are sufficiently proven — allows for a maximum sentence of up to one year in prison, and even that only suspended.

Police remind the public that legitimate investment companies never send couriers to collect cash or demand money be handed over using a "password." If someone is pressuring you to keep investing more money while promising quick returns, that's a clear sign of fraud. At the slightest suspicion, stop all communication with the "investors" immediately, contact your bank, and report the matter to the police.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz