Czech charged with surrogacy scam after conning dozens of infertile women

A former nurse from Olomouc has been accused of deceiving two dozen couples from across the country by promising them surrogacy services, according to police. The woman, whose name has not been disclosed, collected sums ranging from CZK 10,000 to CZK 50,000 from unsuspecting couples, claims police associate Tomáš Kvíčala.

The woman, fraudulently, never delivered a child to any of the couples, leaving them not only robbed of their money but also of their hope to have a child. The police got on the trail of the fake surrogate mother thanks to a couple from Novy Jicin, to the north of Moravia, who had also been deceived. 

"In terms of the number of victims, this case is unique in the Czech Republic," Kvíčala stated, highlighting the gravity of the situation. The woman is alleged to have cheated 23 couples, using her knowledge and education on the matter of surrogacy to appear legitimate and trustworthy.

The investigation revealed that the woman had been following the same procedure since 2021. She would scout for couples interested in surrogacy through online discussion forums and offer her services for a total of CZK 300,000, which police claim was a competitive price. 

She also visited 14 assisted reproduction clinics in the country and underwent several medical examinations to determine her suitability for surrogacy. In 13 cases, she even underwent assisted reproduction, but she was only pregnant once and ended up miscarrying.

Police officers believe that this was a targeted scam, as the woman often promised surrogacy services to multiple couples at the same time. She would negotiate with them within days or hours and accompany them to assisted reproduction clinics. The clinics were not connected, avoiding any suspicion of fraud.

Once the woman collected the first payment from the couples, she would become uncontactable. When one of her clients managed to reach her, she would claim to be sick or taking care of a sick family member, all in an attempt to avoid returning the money.

"The aim was to avoid the victims and not to return the money," Kvicala explained, highlighting the woman's deceptive tactics.

The criminal investigators have charged the woman with fraud, and if convicted, she could face up to eight years in prison. However, she has not fully confessed to her actions, only admitting to some of her past misdeeds, according to investigator Pavel Kulajta.