The Police received a new complaint today, regarding online fraud, concerning an e-mail sent allegedly by the Tax Department.
According to the complaint submitted to the Nicosia Police Department, a citizen received an e-mail today, stating that, for the purposes of a tax refund from the Tax Department, his personal information should be confirmed, through an electronic link included in the message. The electronic link led to a fake website that resembled the website of the Tax Department.
The complainant realized that it was fraud and notified the Police before taking any action.
The fraud case is being investigated by the Financial Crime Investigation Unit, of the TAE Nicosia.
On the occasion of this new case, the Police urges the public to be especially careful and to follow the following recommendations:
-No tax or other State Authority sends messages asking for codes and other banking details of a personal nature. In case you receive a similar message, ignore it and delete it immediately.
-Never share personal or banking information via e-mail or through unknown websites.
-Do not fill in information on websites that are not the official ones of government organizations. -Always check the authenticity of the email address of the sender of a message and the authenticity of the e-links it contains before selecting the link.
-Be informed only by official State sources. Citizens can verify the identity of the people who call them, by communicating through the official channels of the Services that these people say they represent.
-Use two-factor security for your online accounts.
-In case any banking data was reported to the perpetrators during such fraud, the public should IMMEDIATELY inform their Banking institution to avoid unwanted use of their data and available funds and submit a relevant complaint to the Police.
