A wealthy 62-year-old Ukrainian woman residing in Limassol, Cyprus, became the victim of a sophisticated scam that left her out of over €1.2 million within just three days. The scammers contacted the woman, pretending to be bank officials and warning her that hackers had accessed her accounts. They convinced her that transferring her funds to ‘secure’ accounts was necessary to protect her money.
Between February 25 and 28, the woman made 34 separate transactions, sending $1,245,000 and €32,459 to foreign accounts provided by the scammers. It wasn’t until she reconnected with her actual bank that she realized she had fallen victim to a scam. The Cypriot Police were alerted, but unfortunately, the money had already been transferred and could not be recovered. This case highlights the growing sophistication of cybercriminals and serves as a stark reminder for individuals to verify any suspicious communications before acting.