Pensioner Falls for Fake Babiš Ad, Loses 13 Million Crowns

An elderly Czech resident lost roughly 13 million crowns after falling for a fraudulent online advertisement that appeared to feature former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. The case was disclosed by police spokeswoman Andrea Zoulová Muzikantová.

According to her, the victim responded to an ad online and filled out a form with his personal details. The very next day, a woman calling herself a manager at an international investment firm phoned him and demanded payment of an "entry fee." Later, another person contacted the man, installed a special app on his phone for tracking investment offers, and pretended to help him with his investments.

Five Months of Transfers and the Password "Scooter"

Between March and July of this year, the pensioner repeatedly sent money to the scammers — sometimes to various bank accounts, other times handing cash directly to a courier at his own home. Each time he met the courier, he had to say the password "koloběžka" (Czech for "scooter").

The largest single payment — 7 million crowns — was handed over to a courier all at once in late May. In total, the victim lost around 13 million crowns.

Case Handed to Economic Crime Unit

Given the scale of the loss, the investigation has now been taken over by regional detectives from the economic crime unit. The unidentified perpetrator faces fraud charges and up to 10 years in prison.

Police note that such scams involving fake videos — so-called deepfakes — are becoming increasingly common. Fraudsters use not only the likeness of Andrej Babiš but also other public figures, including President Petr Pavel and Senator Pavel Fischer. Cybersecurity experts have repeatedly warned about the growing number of such fakes online.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz