Cyprus Police have issued a warning after receiving several reports of online fraud in which members of the public are being targeted with deceptive text messages and emails purporting to come from a well-known technology company.
The messages claim that unauthorised individuals have gained access to photographs stored in the recipient’s cloud storage account, and urge them to click a link in order to “protect” their account.
Those who follow the link are directed to a fraudulent website designed to mimic a genuine login page, where they are asked to enter personal details or account credentials under the guise of identity verification. Police say the information is then harvested by the fraudsters, who use it to access victims’ accounts — in a number of cases going on to carry out unauthorised financial transactions.
Officers are urging the public to exercise particular caution and have issued the following advice:
- Do not open links received by SMS or email unless you are completely certain of their authenticity.
- Never enter passwords or personal and banking details on websites accessed via a link sent in a message or email.
- If you receive a notification warning of a supposed problem with your account, do not click the link provided. Instead, log in independently through the official app or website of the service in question to check for any genuine alerts.
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication wherever it is available, as an additional layer of protection.
