Filenews 21 August 2021 - by Theano Thipoulou
Forgery, false representations, impersonation and fraud in the sale or mortgaging of property, are the predominant offenses that are on the list of financial crimes that Cypriots have to their credit.
According to crime statistics, in 2020 there were 555 cases registered in the crime register and the solved cases were 478, compared to 425 and 382 respectively for 2019. Among the "popular" offences of the three-year period are false representations, fraud, etc., obtaining credit through false representations, currency offences and fraud in the sale or mortgaging of property.
In addition, the Police received 8 complaints about money laundering (the Prevention and Suppression of Money Laundering Activities Law). Most offences in this category are recorded in 2014 reaching 114 and all cases were solved. In 2016, there were 6 complaints about money laundering and were solved, in 2017 they were 26 with the degree of success in resolution standing at 96.2%. In 2018 there were 3 complaints about this offence and all were solved.
The internet has also entered the financial offences which is why the Cyprus Police and the Office for combating electronic crime call on the public to be particularly careful. In 2020, there were 12 registered cases for forgery related to a computer and 4 solved.
There were 42 computer-related scams registered in the crime register in 2020 and 16 detected. For 2018 and 2019 no data is available. It is noted that cybercrime is a crime involving a computer and a network. The computer can be the means to commit the crime or be the target. Common cyber crimes include cases of cyber-attack and espionage of governmental or non-governmental bodies, financial fraud, intimidation and extortion. In the European Union, the European Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA) is responsible for achieving a high level of security online.
Regarding the remaining financial crimes, for 2020 there were 127 registered cases of false representations, fraud and 117 were solved. For the offence of obtaining credit by false representations, 23 cases were registered and 21 were solved. There was a registered case for offense and 4 for fraud in the sale or mortgaging of property.
There were 4 registered cases for an offence involving fraudulent transactions in real estate belonging to another, while for usury and profiteering there was a single case. For the offence of theft by public officials there were five registered cases which were solved, for the offence of theft by secretaries and servants there were 59 cases registered and 57 were solved. For the offence of theft by directors or officials of companies there were 5 registered cases and 3 were solved. There were 22 registered cases involving theft by dealers which were investigated. There were 25 registered cases with currency offences and 19 cases solved.
