The blackmailer sent the details of a Bitcoin wallet for Lukacovic to transfer the bitcoins. Credit: Freepik.
Prague, July 31 (CTK) – The owner of Seznam.cz server, Ivo Lukacovic, wrote on Twitter over the weekend that an anonymous person is demanding bitcoins from him in exchange for not harming his company. In response, Lukacovic has turned to the police and is offering a financial reward for information leading to the arrest of the blackmailer.
Prague police spokesman Jan Danek told CTK today that he did not know whether Lukacovic had contacted the police. He can file a criminal complaint with the police anywhere.
According to an e-mail posted by Lukacovic on Twitter, the anonymous person wants 12.7 bitcoin (roughly CZK 8.1 million) within three days. If Lukacovic fails to pay, the blackmailer threatened to cause damage to his company.
In this context, the author of the email mentioned an incident two years ago in which police officers evacuated 10 Seznam.cz properties across the Czech Republic because of an anonymous bomb threat. The blackmailer claimed to be responsible for this anonymous report, and sent the details of a Bitcoin wallet for Lukacovic to transfer the bitcoins.
“I am offering several million crowns as a reward for the tracking down and final conviction of the owner of the Bitcoin wallet. You will get as many million crowns as he gets years in prison,” Lukacovic wrote on Twitter, adding that he would hand the matter over to the police.
Lukacovic founded Seznam.cz in May 1996. The company operates the eponymous search engine, which is the Czech leader in general search services, the news server Seznam Zpravy, Seznam TV, the Mapy.cz service, Sbazar, Sreality and Sauto . It also offers, among other things, the price comparison engine Zbozi.cz, Pocasi.cz, a browser and the video portal Stream.cz.
In June, the anti-trust office (UOHS) allowed Seznam Media from the Seznam.cz group to buy Zdenek Porybny’s company Silky. Through the acquisition, Seznam.cz will also acquire Borgis, which publishes the daily Pravo and supplies content to the Novinky.cz news server.
Last year, Seznam’s pre-tax profit fell 34.5% to CZK 1.28 billion, while revenues rose 5.8% to CZK 5.93 billion.
