Cypriot police have issued an urgent warning on July 25, 2026, regarding a spike in online phishing scams targeting individuals. Fraudsters are sending deceptive SMS and email messages impersonating well-known technology companies, falsely claiming that unauthorized parties have accessed private photos stored in the victims' cloud accounts. The messages include a link urging recipients to 'protect' their accounts, which directs them to a fraudulent website designed to harvest personal information, login credentials, and banking details.

Once attackers gain access to these accounts, they frequently conduct unauthorized financial transactions. Authorities are advising the public to remain vigilant and avoid clicking on any suspicious links received via SMS or email. Specifically, users are warned against entering passwords or personal financial data on websites linked directly from messages. The police emphasize that the authenticity of any such notification must be verified independently before taking any action to prevent further data breaches and financial losses.