The Police are once again alerting the public to telephone scams carried out via the WhatsApp app, in which fraudsters pose as representatives of the Cyprus Police.

Specifically, the perpetrators make calls via WhatsApp to unsuspecting citizens, claiming to be contacting them on behalf of the Police. To make themselves more convincing, they use a photo of the Chief of Police as their profile picture.

The scammers appear to be using different phone numbers, and the conversations take place in English.

These calls are a scam and do not originate from the Cyprus Police. Please note that the Police do not request personal or banking information, passwords, or any financial transactions via WhatsApp or other messaging apps.

The Police urge the public to be particularly cautious and:

• DO NOT respond to calls or instructions from scammers.
• DO NOT click on any links that may be sent.
• DO NOT disclose passwords, bank account information, one-time passwords (OTPs), or other personal data.

If you have disclosed banking or other sensitive information during such a communication, they should immediately notify their bank so that the necessary protective measures can be taken.

The photo accompanying the announcement shows two of the phone numbers used by the scammers. It should be noted that these numbers may change; therefore, the public should treat any similar communication with caution, regardless of the number displayed on the screen.