Scammers are posing as government service officials to trick people into paying money, the police said on Monday.

The police said they received complaints that the scammers were contacting people by telephone and falsely presenting themselves as representatives of the Social Insurance Services, the Cyprus Electricity Authority and the Taxation Department.

The scammers were advising people to divulge their bank account or credit card details or confirm transactions, in order to extract sums of money.

The police have called on the public to be particularly careful and not follow the scammers’ instructions, not disclose any sensitive information and verify the identity of the people calling them by contacting the services through their official communication channels.