Limassol woman loses €1,219 after clicking fake fine link
A 45-year-old woman was tricked by a text message about an unpaid fine and ended up €1,219 out of pocket, police say. Officers stress they never ask for money by message.
Police are investigating how a 45-year-old woman lost €1,219 to an online fraud, as reported by the Cyprus Mail on Wednesday. The scheme began with a text message telling her she owed a fine.
She opened a link from the message, keyed in her vehicle registration and landed on a page showing a fake notice for a €6.59 penalty. She chose to pay, entered personal and banking information, but stopped before finishing — later she discovered a payment of €1,219 had been taken from her account.
The force advised the public to “be particularly cautious when receiving messages containing electronic links”.
What it means for residents
Fake fine notices are cheap to send and reach phones across the island, so the risk is not limited to any one town or age group. A small sum like €6.59 is designed to feel harmless — which is exactly why the card details behind it get handed over.
- Check before you tap. Cypriot authorities do not demand fine payments through text links, so treat any such message as suspect until verified by an official channel.
- Watch your account. If you have entered card details on an unfamiliar page, contact your bank immediately and consider blocking the card.
- Report it. Police ask anyone unsure about a message to get in touch with them rather than reply to the sender.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
