Police in Paphos are investigating a fraud in which more than €4,800 was taken from a 26-year-old woman’s bank account. The money was withdrawn after she received a text falsely presented as coming from GOVCY and followed a link to pay a purported outstanding fine.
How the fraud unfolded
The woman reported the incident to Paphos CID on Tuesday, 11 August. She said she had received the message on her mobile phone the previous day, with GOVCY falsely displayed as the sender and a claim that she had an outstanding fine.
The message directed her to a link to supposedly settle the fine. After following it and entering her bank card details, she later discovered that more than €4,800 had been taken from her account.
Paphos CID is continuing its investigation.
Police warning over fraudulent messages
Cyprus Police said such messages are fraudulent and have no connection with the force. It advised members of the public to take the following precautions:
- Do not open links sent by text message, email or messaging apps from unknown or suspicious senders.
- Do not enter personal or banking details on suspicious websites.
- To verify any outstanding matter involving the police, use the force’s established official contact channels.
