Police warned the public on Thursday about fraudulent messages that appear to come from Deputy Attorney General Savvas Angelides, after receiving reports from people who had been sent them.
The fraudsters are using his name and title to make the messages look credible and to deceive those who receive them. So far, the messages appear to be sent via WhatsApp.
Police urged people to be particularly careful, not to reply to the messages and not to follow any instructions in them. They should also avoid opening links or attachments and should not share personal information.
Anyone who replies and clicks on the fraudulent link automatically gives the fraudsters access to their account, police said.
The appearance of an official’s name or title in a message does not guarantee that it is genuine, police added.
As a precaution, users can check the “Linked devices” section in their account settings to see whether any other device is connected. They can also turn on “Two-step verification” in their settings for extra security.
