Cyprus police investigate tax‑refund phishing scam that stole €3,134

The Cyprus Police Economic Crime Investigation Unit received a new complaint about an online fraud scheme that pretended to be a message from the Cyprus Tax Department. The email, dated 21 May 2026, claimed the recipient needed to confirm personal details through a link for a tax refund. The link led to a counterfeit website that collected the victim’s personal information, bank‑card data and one‑time passwords (OTP).

After the information was submitted, the victim’s bank reported two unauthorized transactions totaling €3,134. Police are examining the case and urging the public not to share personal or banking details via email or unknown websites, to verify the authenticity of sender addresses and links, and to use two‑factor authentication for online accounts.