A 55-year-old man in Paphos was conned out of €17,000 in an online scam, the police said on Tuesday.

The man reported to the police on Monday that he had received a message on his mobile phone with a link to pay an out-of-court fine.

When he clicked on the link, he was taken to a website informing him that he had an outstanding fine of €85, which he should pay immediately.

He then received a message from his bank saying that two transfers had been made from his account for the amount of €17,000 to unknown bank accounts.

Investigations are ongoing.

The police once again advised the public not to enter personal details or bank account information in links sent by sms or email, before confirming their validity.