A 26-year-old woman in Paphos lost more than €4,800 after entering her bank card details on a fraudulent website, which she reported to police on Tuesday.

The woman informed Paphos CID that she received a text message on Monday which appeared to have been sent by the GOVCY platform, which said she had an outstanding fine.

The message directed her to a link where she was told she could settle the alleged fine. She followed the link and entered her bank card details on the website.

She later discovered that more than €4,800 had been withdrawn from her bank account.

Police are investigating the circumstances of the fraud and are seeking to establish how the money was taken.

Members of the public are urged not to open links received by text message, email or messaging applications when they come from unknown or suspicious sources.

Police also advised people not to enter personal or banking information on websites reached through such messages.

Anyone who receives a message claiming that they have an outstanding matter involving the police should verify it through the force’s official channels.