Seznam.cz offers reward for catching anonymous extortionist

Ivo Lukačovič, the owner of the popular Czech search engine Seznam.cz, has revealed on social media that his company is the target of a blackmail threat demanding millions of crowns in bitcoin to spare them from harm.

An anonymous perpetrator has given Lukačovič a deadline of three days to pay 12.7 bitcoins (approximately 8.1 million crowns), to save Seznam.cz from consequences including bomb threats.

Lukačovič took to Twitter to share the contents of an email sent by the blackmailer. In the message, the anonymous sender referenced a 2021 incident involving the evacuation of ten Seznam.cz-operated buildings across the Czech Republic due to a false bomb threat.

The sender claimed responsibility for the hoax and demanded the a ransom in exchange for preventing further harm.

Intent on taking action, Lukačovič announced that he is willing to cooperate with the police and is offering a significant financial reward for any information leading to the capture and conviction of the blackmailer.

"I am offering several million crowns as a reward for the tracking down and final conviction of the owner of the Bitcoin wallet," Lukačovič tweeted, emphasizing his commitment to bringing the culprit to justice. You will get as many millions of crowns as he gets years [in prison]."

Prague police spokesman Jan Danek couldn't confirm to Czech News Agency on Saturday whether Lukačovič had officially reported the matter to the police, but added that he was free to do so at any time.

Seznam.cz, founded by Lukačovič in 1996, has grown to become one of the most prominent players in the Czech online landscape.

The company operates a variety of services, including the popular search engine Seznam.cz, the news portal Seznam Zprávy, Seznam TV, the Mapy.cz service, and platforms like Sbazar, Sreality, and Sauto. They also offer a range of other services, such as the comparison engine Zboží.cz, Počasí.cz, a web browser, and the video portal Stream.cz.

Last year, Seznam.cz reported a decrease in pre-tax profit by 34.5 percent to CZK 1.28 billion. However, the company managed to increase its overall revenue by 5.8 percent, reaching CZK 5.93 billion.

The blackmail incident comes on the heels of Seznam Media's acquisition of Silky, a company owned by Zdeněk Porybný, which was authorized by the Czech Republic's anti-trust office in June. The acquisition also includes Borgis, the publisher of the daily newspaper Právo and the Novinky.cz news portal.