Cyprus police issue urgent warnings following a surge in financial fraud cases

Authorities in Cyprus are investigating a series of sophisticated phishing scams targeting citizens through SMS, phone calls, and email. In one incident on October 27, 2026, a 45-year-old woman in Nicosia lost 1,219 euros after clicking a fraudulent link sent via SMS regarding a purported traffic fine. Despite entering her credentials and a one-time password without technically completing a payment, the funds were withdrawn from her account.

Separately, in Paphos, a 37-year-old woman was defrauded of 784 euros after receiving a call from an individual posing as a police officer. The caller spoke English and used a deceptive sender identity, "cypruspolice9990@gmail.com," to trick the victim into sharing banking details. In another recent case, a female accountant in Paphos lost 6,000 euros after clicking an email link that appeared to be from her bank, prompting her to update personal data.

The Cyprus Police have categorically stated they never contact citizens via text or phone to collect fines or request personal banking information. Financial crime investigation units in Nicosia and Paphos are handling these cases, and the public is urged to exercise extreme caution with suspicious links and messages.