Filenews 27 March 2022
In recent times there has been an upsurge in the complaints received from the Police regarding various forms of internet fraud.
According to an announcement, a large number of complaints were recently received at the Nicosia ICF, which concern the following forms of electronic fraud:
1. Interference in the electronic communication between supplier and customer and fraudulent instructions for processing a payment in a bank account of the fraudsters (man in the middle).
In these cases, the party that will make the payment receives an email from a slightly falsified email address (possibly with a letter or even a full stop), which resembles the e-mail address of his supplier or partner, with instructions for payment of an invoice to another banking organization. The unsuspecting person proceeds to process the transaction, resulting in his money ending up in the scammers.
With regard to case number 1, the public is urged to be particularly careful. Especially traders who have to do with payments of large amounts of money, should confirm the instructions of their customers, which are received via email and other ways e.g. by telephone communication, no matter how much they seem to come from their customers.
2. Orders through fraudulent websites, which are presented as real.
In this case, payment is made without receipt of goods or different products are received from those originally ordered, of negligible value. This category also includes the renting of an apartment abroad, with the payment of a fee, which the fraudsters receive, without the apartment ever being rented.
In case number 2, the public should be aware that online shopping is very risky. Buyers should be confident and fairly aware of the prospective supplier and the websites they intend to use. If they feel that something is wrong it is better not to make the purchase.
3. Sales of products online and payment of products with cryptocurrencies, without the transaction ever taking place.
In case number 3, it is recommended to avoid paying by cheques, cards or electronic currency when selling goods.
4. Approaching victims on Social Media (Facebook, messenger, Instagram, etc.), promises about relationship, marriage, etc. (romance scam) where at a later stage, the abuser starts asking for money supposedly to enable his arrival in Cyprus. It is noted that in this case, the perpetrators repeatedly ask for the payment of small amounts of money, resulting in their victims in the end sending them a total of large sums of money.
In case number 4, the public should keep in mind that they should not trust unknown persons and bear in mind the possibility that various profiles are fake.
5. Approach either through mobile phones or through N.K.D. for investments in the various cryptocurrency platforms, with promises of high returns. The money, once paid to the various wallets indicated to them, is then transferred to other e-wallets and disappears. A similar approach is made in cases where victims are asked to invest in various online platforms in shares, foreign exchange, etc., again with promises of very high returns and in the end these platforms are closed and the money is lost (binary option investments).
In case number 5, the public should be very careful and not trust strangers, who may approach it and promise them high returns on investments. Before citizens make such investments, they should in advance obtain the opinion of an expert.
6. Sending fraudulent e-mails or sms that appear to have been sent by the bank and which ask the customer to enter the codes of his bank account for the purpose of upgrading the services, resulting in fraudsters gaining access to the bank accounts of unsuspecting citizens and misappropriating large amounts of money (phishing).
For case number 6, the public should know that the bank will never ask via email or sms, for a confirmation of personal information or codes. These messages should be ignored.
More information and advice can be found on the website www.Cyberalert.cy
