81-year-old woman loses over 33,000 euros in Gesy phishing scam

An 81-year-old woman in Limassol was defrauded of €33,424 in an online scam on October 12, 2026. The victim received a text message that appeared to originate from the national health system (Gesy), requesting a payment of €1.50 to settle a balance. After following the instructions provided in the message, the woman began receiving alerts regarding unauthorized attempts to access her digital banking accounts.

The perpetrators successfully accessed two accounts managed by the victim—her personal account and another she oversees—transferring a total of €33,424. The incident was reported to the Limassol Criminal Investigation Department (TAE), which has launched an investigation into the fraud.

Following the incident, Cypriot police issued a warning to the public to exercise extreme caution when receiving unsolicited messages containing links. Authorities advise citizens to avoid clicking such links, refrain from entering banking credentials on unknown websites, and verify any payment requests by contacting the relevant organization through official channels. Individuals who suspect their banking details have been compromised are urged to contact their financial institutions immediately to block further unauthorized access.