Online bazaars are like a flea market: sometimes you hunt for a treasure, sometimes you come across someone who disappears faster than the sale items. A typical scenario: you send money, the seller stops responding and you only have a platform nickname and an account number. “That must be enough,” you think. But the reality has a few legal hitches – mainly around the CZK 10,000 threshold and bank secrecy.
Quick overview
A nickname on a marketplace and an account number is usually enough to start an investigation, but the police need as much concrete evidence as possible (chat, advert, payment receipt) to be able to query data across the platform and look for connections. The bank itself will not disclose the account holder because of bank secrecy – a formal criminal procedure is typically used to break it, often through a prosecutor. If the damage is small and without further clues, the matter may end up as a misdemeanor, narrowing the possibilities of obtaining bank data.
What to do now:
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Almost everyone shops online now, and many of us even more than in brick-and-mortar stores. However, unlike brick-and-mortar stores, online ones have one big disadvantage – the need to pay in advance. Among legitimate e-shops, there are also many fraudulent e-shops that will gladly take your money but will not send you the goods. These are the subject of our article.
The course of action taken by the law enforcement authorities depends on the legal qualification of the act. If the circumstances established so far do not meet the characteristics of a criminal offence, in particular if they do not reach the threshold of “not insignificant damage” of CZK 10,000, which is set in the Criminal Code, the conduct is usually assessed as a misdemeanour. The threshold of CZK 10,000 is the standard threshold criterion in Czech law for distinguishing between the misdemeanour and criminal law levels for property actions.
When assessing the damage, the original purchase price of the item when purchased new is not decisive, but the value at the time and place of the act, or the usual price and the real property damage at the time of the act. In the case of second-hand sales, this typically means that the used item (e.g. a mobile phone or handbag) is generally worth less than its original purchase value due to age and wear and tear.
It is not the case that an amount below CZK 10,000 automatically means powerlessness. It is true, however, that for low damages, the item is more likely to be assessed as an offence, thus reducing the scope for the tools of criminal proceedings (including easier work with the bank trail). This is why some fraudsters target “a few thousand” – the victim often resigns.
However, it is not just the amount for one person that is decisive. It is the context that matters: multiple victims, a repeated pattern, a false identity, multiple adverts, the same photos or texts. In such cases, aggregation of damages for multiple victims may be relevant. Once the sum exceeds CZK 10,000, the chances of a criminal qualification increase and with it the use of “stronger” procedural tools.
In practice: a simple check of whether there are any other warnings attached to the account/prefix will often help. This is not about doing the job of the police. It’s about delivering the information that you are not the only one – which can change how the authorities handle the case.
The law does not say “from X amount onwards, the bank must disclose the data”. It is the process and the purpose that decides: in criminal proceedings, bank data is requested when it is needed to clarify the circumstances suggesting that a crime has been committed, and the request must be made by an authorised authority (typically a prosecutor).
However, the amount plays an indirect role: in property offences, it often determines whether the damage element of the offence is met. One victim and a few hundred with no other clues = more frequent offense. Multiple victims, same bill, repeated scenario, sum over 10,000 = more chance of a criminal scheme.
For the victim, this implies a practical strategy:
There is no such thing as an account. For Czech banks, the process tends to be more straightforward because they fall under the Czech banking secrecy regime and standard law enforcement communications. For fintechs like Revolut, obtaining information can be slower: different jurisdictions, different internal channels, sometimes longer timelines. It doesn’t mean it can’t be done – it just tends to be “more paperwork”.
The other direction is the platform itself (Sbazar, Bazos, Marketplace…). The police can request data from it as well. In the online environment: data is not kept forever. That’s why it makes sense:
In practice: very often it turns out that the scammer recycles photos and texts and just changes profiles. Once this can be linked, the case moves up a level.
When you get scammed on a marketplace, a nickname and account number are not enough – but they alone are often not enough to quickly “spot the culprit”. The police can start working with them, typically through requesting data from the platform and examining the payment trail. The turning point comes when the case is treated as a criminal offence: this is when the path to bank data is more often opened in practice, as bank secrecy cannot be broken by a general request for cooperation.
The CZK 10,000 threshold plays an important role, especially because it often separates the offence and criminal law in property offences. However, it is not the case that below this threshold ‘nothing is worth dealing with’. If there are indications of repeated conduct, multiple victims or a sophisticated fraudulent procedure, the damage can be aggregated and the case can move into the criminal regime even if the individual victims have lost “only” a few thousand.
What can you do? Gather evidence in a way that links to each other: screenshots of communications, link and ad ID, payment confirmation, date/time of transfer, account number, email/phone, or any other identifiers. Check that no other complaints are linked to the account or nickname – and submit this information to the police. At the same time, report everything to the platform and act quickly, as digital footprints are not forever. The sooner you provide good documentation and suggest possible connections, the better the chances of turning “one bad luck” into a solvable case.
It’s a usable base, but it will help significantly to add communication, ad link/ID and payment confirmation.
Because of bank secrecy. Data is typically only obtained formally – especially in criminal proceedings and through an authorised authority.
Often yes, unless there are other clues. But with multiple victims or repeated procedures, the situation can shift.
Yes – it can request registration and operational data (depending on what the platform stores). Speed is important so that traces don’t disappear.
In practice, yes. In Czech banks, the procedure is usually more straightforward, while in foreign fintechs, communication can be more complicated and slower.
Yes – the platform can block the account/advert, keep logs and sometimes help detect that it is a repeat practice.
Have you found yourself in a situation that requires filing a criminal complaint? We are here to help. We will reliably protect your rights and handle the entire process for you. We’ll handle everything quickly and flawlessly so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
Ondřej is the attorney who came up with the idea of providing legal services online. He's been earning his living through legal services for more than 10 years. He especially likes to help clients who may have given up hope in solving their legal issues at work, for example with real estate transfers or copyright licenses.
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