Greek Cypriot great grand mother looses over 100,000 Euro in romance scam

A 76-year-old Greek Cypriot woman was scammed of over €100,000 by an unknown person, police reported.

The victim reported to Limassol’s Cybercrime Investigation Office that between June 25 and September 20, 2024, fraudsters emptied her commercial bank accounts through multiple transactions.

According to police report, the scam began on May 15.

Explaining the incident, the 76-year-old complaint said, on May 15 she contacted an unknown man through an app on her phone after reading a post on social media.

An online relationship developed between them and the unknown man, posing as a UN major serving in Syria, persuaded the 76-year-old, under various pretexts, to send him a sum of money to bank accounts abroad.

In total, the 76-year-old made ten money transfers totalling €145,000 before realising she was the victim of fraud.

Police are investigating a case of misrepresentation and computer-related fraud.