Cyprus man loses €17,000 in online scam

A 55-year-old man in Paphos, south Cyprus lost €17,000 in an online scam, police reported on Tuesday.

According to the complaint filed on Monday June 16, the victim received a text message containing a link to pay an alleged out-of-court fine.

Upon clicking the link, he was directed to a website claiming he owed €85 and urging immediate payment.

Shortly afterward, he received a notification from his bank indicating that two transfers totaling €17,000 had been made from his account to unknown recipients.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

Authorities are once again urging the public to avoid entering personal or banking information through links received via SMS or email without first verifying their authenticity