Before the New Year, cases of internet fraud have increased in Northern Cyprus

The main police department of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) issued a warning about the increasing cases of fraud on social networks and via SMS. Citizens were urged to be vigilant and cautious.

In a statement from the police press service, it is noted that scammers are trying to obtain money from trusting citizens by inventing various scenarios on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, as well as sending messages to mobile phones.

In particular, recently there has been an increase in messages from fake pages on social networks and via SMS, claiming to have won a gift card from a certain company or a mobile phone as a result of a giveaway (which, in fact, did not take place).

Additionally, cases of fake advertisements for the sale of counterfeit household appliances at affordable prices have been identified. Scammers requested information about credit cards or asked to transfer money to specified bank account numbers.

"To avoid falling victim to scammers, one should be very cautious when making purchases online or via mobile phones. It is not advisable to disclose information about your credit card and transfer money to specified bank account numbers without seeing the physical existence of the goods and services you are purchasing," the law enforcement message states.