The Ukrainian family paid the man in Prague two rents. She lost money, she has no housing
“He approached us through the WhatsApp app, as a lot of people do when booking a short-term rental. He looked decent and behaved normally. Nothing bothered that he was a cheater, “David Jemelka described the news to Novinky, but it is a fairly common trick of the Old Prague company.
That something was wrong turned out when the man who acted under the name Petr Schiechel did not return the key after completing the agreed two days, he did not vacate the apartment in Skořepova Street and did not answer the phone.
“We thought something might have happened to him, so we cleared his things and put them at the front desk. The apartment was booked by other guests. And we ended up staying there in the end. But in a few hours they called us that there were strange things inside. Clothes and a fridge full of food, “Jemelka further described.
It is advisable that the apartment, which was going to accommodate Dutch tourists who had a proper reservation, was already occupied by a family from Ukraine. She had a duly completed lease, but it turned out to be worthless paper. Men Ukrainians paid 37 thousand for two months of accommodation.
They had to move out of the apartment immediately. “They could not stay in the apartment that the young man had fraudulently rented to them because there were other guests. But we agreed to get them emergency accommodation before they could find any other solution. We later learned that they had been the victims of a fraud that is commonplace. It is said to be a well-known feint, “added Jemelka.
He reported the fraud together with a Ukrainian family to the police, who are now searching for the young man. The family took a video recording of the apartment, which shows a man.
“We are dealing with the case with suspicion of the crime of fraud and we are investigating all circumstances,” Police spokesman Jan Rybanský told the News.
They came to the Czech Republic before the war
According to the News, it was a partner couple from Ukraine, but they are not refugees. The man was supposed to arrive in the Czech Republic a year ago, then his girlfriend arrived. He wanted the apartment because he was looking for cheaper housing than before.
The question remains whether the suspect targeted the people of Ukraine by name and assumed that they were refugees. According to Rybanský, similar frauds are taking place across the Czech Republic, and the victims are people of various nationalities as well as Czech citizens.
Refugees like white horses
Cases of fraudsters trying to take advantage of the plight of Ukrainian refugees are increasing, according to police. Police Presidium spokesman Ondřej Moravčík told the news that there are often cases where refugees from Ukraine become part of bank card fraud.
“Refugees participate in various online forums, such as the Telegram and other social networks, to be in the picture and know what and how. The fraudsters target them and abuse them like white horses for so-called phishing attacks, “Moravčík explained to the News.
In practice, stuck Ukrainians with stolen cards and stolen data are sent to an ATM or payment terminal to steal cash or pay for goods, and are caught and charged as perpetrators. In fact, they are part of the fraudsters’ plans.