Police are investigating a fresh case of electronic fraud involving false claims and theft of money, the force confirmed on Tuesday.

A 42-year-old woman from Paphos reported that she received a suspicious SMS on her mobile phone. The message falsely claimed she owed an 85-euro fine for a traffic offence. It included a link asking her to enter a code to supposedly pay the fine.

Shortly after entering the code, the woman was alerted by her bank that a payment of 7,000 euros had been made from her account without her consent.

Police warn that similar fraudulent messages continue to circulate. These often arrive via social media or SMS and urge recipients to follow links for alleged traffic fines or other payments. The aim is to trick people into handing over money or personal data.

The police stress that they never contact the public in this way. They advise people not to open suspicious links or provide personal or banking details when prompted.

This case is currently being investigated by the financial crime investigation office of the Paphos crime investigation department.

Police have repeatedly issued warnings about such scams in recent months and urge the public to remain vigilant.