Woman loses more than €2,200 in online accommodation scam
A 32-year-old woman reported losing more than €2,200 after being directed to make a fraudulent accommodation payment through an online link.
Nicosia, Cyprus. A 32-year-old woman lost more than €2,200 in an online accommodation scam, police said on Wednesday. The Nicosia Financial Crimes Investigation Unit is investigating the case.
Reported booking fraud
The woman reported the case to Nicosia police on Tuesday, saying she had booked accommodation through an online platform on August 4.
Later that day, an unknown person contacted her claiming to be the accommodation provider. He allegedly persuaded her to cancel the original booking and make a new reservation through another online travel platform, sending her a link.
The woman followed the link and transferred more than €2,200 on August 11 to a bank account provided to her. She received no booking confirmation and later realised she had been defrauded.
Police advice
Police urged the public to exercise caution when making online accommodation bookings and not respond to suspicious messages or payment requests.
They advised people receiving such messages to contact the hotel or accommodation provider directly through official contact details and avoid payments through links sent by message or email without verifying their authenticity.
Police also said anyone who has entered bank card details through a suspicious link should contact their bank immediately and cancel the card.
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