Czech online dating users are increasingly falling victim to fraudsters. According to statistics from the technology company Gen, Czechia has entered the top five countries most affected by so-called romance scams. Moreover, criminals are improving their methods, involving victims not only in financial fraud but also in illegal money laundering schemes.
Czech police regularly record new cases of fraud. In February, a woman from Liberec became a victim of cybercriminals after a romantic correspondence with a supposed doctor from Syria. He convinced her to send a large sum of money, and when she began to have doubts, he threatened to send her to Iraq. As a result, the woman lost around €20,000.
A similar case occurred in the Jičín region: the victim initially received €26 from the fraudsters, which increased her trust. She then invested €12,000 in a fake VIP program. Only afterward did she realize she had been scammed and contacted the police.
Studies show that feelings of loneliness make people more vulnerable to fraudsters. According to a survey conducted by Gen, 87% of Czechs have felt lonely at some point, which prompted them to seek online connections. Additionally, 16% of respondents admitted they would even be willing to chat with a chatbot just to alleviate their loneliness.
Romance scams are often linked to identity theft. According to the survey, 54% of victims lost their personal information, while 25% had their banking details stolen. Fraudsters frequently use the collected data for blackmail, demanding money in exchange for deleting compromising photos or videos.
Research indicates that 59% of Czechs consider Instagram a safe platform for dating, while 53% trust LinkedIn. Among dating apps, Badoo (46%) and Tinder (44%) are considered the most reliable. However, experts point out that scammers operate on all platforms, with little difference between paid and free versions.
