# Italian healthcare SMS phishing scams

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/italian-healthcare-sms-phishing-scams
> Updated: 2026-10-03T03:44:15.000Z. Sources: 12. Developments: 2.

A fraudulent SMS scam targeting Italian citizens has spread across different regions, impersonating the healthcare service “Centro Unico Cup” (CUP).

Initially reported in Lombardy, the scam involves messages claiming to contain urgent or confidential medical appointment information to induce panic. These messages direct recipients to call premium-rate numbers, such as “89349445”, to incur high telephone charges. 

Following the reports in Lombardy, the Marche Region issued its own alert regarding similar fraudulent messages. Authorities in Marche clarified that the texts do not originate from regional health systems and warned that the scam aims to trick citizens into calling premium numbers or disclosing sensitive data, including medical information, banking details, and OTP codes. 

In both regions, health authorities have advised citizens to avoid clicking links or calling the numbers provided in suspicious texts, instead using official institutional contact numbers to verify medical appointments.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-03: Marche Region issues alert over fraudulent CUP SMS scams

The Marche Region has warned citizens about fraudulent SMS scams impersonating the CUP health booking service to steal personal data or solicit calls to premium-rate numbers.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/marche-region-issues-alert-over-fraudulent-cup-sms-scams

### 2026-09-26: Lombardy healthcare SMS scam targets citizens

A fraudulent SMS scam impersonating the Lombardy healthcare service (Cup) is targeting citizens with urgent, fake medical notifications to solicit calls to premium-rate numbers.

7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/lombardy-healthcare-sms-scam-targets-citizens

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Cite as: Italian healthcare SMS phishing scams. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/italian-healthcare-sms-phishing-scams