From Cyprus Police
04/09/2019 13:13:00
Police have recently received several complaints from citizens about online fraud involving bookings and rentals of
homes, apartments and other tourist accommodation.
From the data obtained so far, the scammers are pretending to be the owners of available tourist accommodation,
offered for rent through various relevant websites, in Cyprus and abroad, creating false ads with their own contact
and payment information.
From further investigations conducted by the Electronic Crimes Bureau, the complainants, while paying and paying
for their reservation, subsequently found that it was fraud, as such reservation did not enter into force. According to the
complainants' complaints, the fraudsters urged them to pay the required amount to bank accounts abroad.
Therefore, the public is cautioned to be very careful and to confirm that the ad is genuine before making any
payment for booking / renting a tourist accommodation. In particular, if the booking is to be made through a related
website offering the rental space, payment is preferable through the same service and not through personal
arrangement with the owner.
