Police issued fraud warnings following a case where a 53-year-old Nicosia resident lost €18,500 to scammers impersonating law enforcement officers through text messages.
The victim reported to police Thursday afternoon that he received a mobile phone message appearing to originate from police stating he owed €85 for driving whilst using a mobile phone. The fraudulent message contained a link directing him to a fake JCC payment platform where he entered banking details to settle the alleged fine.
Police released screenshots of similar fraudulent messages to demonstrate the scam’s appearance. The messages use official-sounding language and create urgency by warning of increased fines or penalties for non-payment. The fraudulent messages use both Greek and English text to appear authentic.
In light of the incident, police stressed they never contact citizens through text messages, email or other digital platforms to request fine payments or for any official business.
“Police never communicate with citizens in this manner or through any other communication platform to call citizens to pay any fines or for any other reason,” they stated.
