The Cyprus Police have issued an official warning advising the public to exercise extreme caution following a significant rise in fraudulent telephone calls. The deceptive calls falsely claim to represent major financial transaction platforms, digital payment providers, or other established organisations.
The Sub-Directorate for Combating Cybercrime released the advisory after receiving numerous complaints from citizens targeted by the scam.
Use of automated systems and local numbers
According to the official police statement, perpetrators are utilising both local Cypriot phone numbers and international lines to carry out the fraud. The scam employs an automated interactive voice response system to deliver pre-recorded instructions to the recipient.
During the call, citizens are informed that they must approve or confirm a pending financial transaction or payment. The automated system instructs the user to press specific numbers on their telephone keypad to finalise the transaction. Authorities have clarified that these calls are entirely fraudulent and aimed at compromising personal and financial data.
Verification protocols for consumers
The police have emphasised that individuals who are genuinely awaiting the processing of online transactions must remain alert. Citizens are urged to independently verify the authenticity of any unexpected calls or messages before completing any payment or revealing credentials.
The advisory stresses that confirmation should only be conducted through the officially published communication channels of the relevant organisations, rather than by responding to incoming prompts. The public is advised to terminate suspicious calls immediately and report any successful fraud attempts to the authorities.
