Thursday, 23 April 2026
Online fraud affecting bank customers in the Czech Republic rose slightly at the start of 2026, but the financial impact increased at a much faster pace, indicating a change in how scams are being carried out.
Figures published by the Czech Banking Association show that close to 24,000 cases were recorded in the first quarter, representing a modest increase compared with the same period last year. However, the total amount lost climbed sharply to around CZK 800 million, reflecting a significant rise in the average value per incident.
At the same time, banks succeeded in stopping a far greater volume of attempted fraud, preventing transactions worth approximately CZK 3.4 billion. This gap between losses and blocked activity highlights both the scale of attempted attacks and the growing effectiveness of monitoring systems.
The nature of these schemes is also evolving. Rather than relying on large volumes of low-value attempts, perpetrators are increasingly targeting individuals with more convincing scenarios, often posing as trusted institutions and creating a sense of urgency to prompt transfers.
Insights from Mastercard suggest that younger users are among those most exposed, despite their familiarity with digital tools. Engagement with suspicious links and messages remains relatively common within this group, pointing to behavioural factors rather than technical limitations.
The latest data underscores a broader shift in the risk landscape, where the number of incidents is growing slowly, but the financial consequences are becoming more severe.
