Email scams cost winners €27 million in Australia and €135 k in Cyprus

A man from the Melbourne area in Australia received an email informing him that he had won the Powerball jackpot, a prize of about €27 million. He initially dismissed the message as a scam and almost deleted it, but a follow‑up email convinced him the win was real. He plans to buy his first home and support his family.

In Limassol, Cyprus, a 60‑year‑old woman was duped by an email promising a high‑return cryptocurrency investment. After contacting the sender through a messaging app, she transferred €135 000 from her Cypriot bank account to an online crypto platform, only to find the funds moved to wallets she could not access. The Cyprus Economic Crime Investigation Office is investigating the fraud.

Both incidents highlight how email scams can lead to massive financial losses, whether from lottery winnings or fraudulent crypto offers.