Police in Limassol are investigating a new case of online invoice fraud after a company director reported a payment made to a false bank account.

The director told officers that his company received an email that appeared to come from a long-standing supplier. The message said the supplier had changed its bank details and asked for future invoices to be settled through a new account.

He accepted the request and authorised a payment of 9,745 US dollars to the account listed in the email. The fraud came to light only after he later contacted the supplier, who confirmed that no payment had been received and that no change of bank details had been requested.

The Limassol CID’s office for the Investigation of financial crime is examining the case. Officers are checking how the email was sent and whether the company’s previous correspondence had been compromised.

Police repeated their warning to businesses and the public to verify any message that asks for a change in payment details. They advised people to call their partners before making any transfer and to use phone numbers already known from earlier, legitimate communications.

Company owners and managers have also been urged to brief staff about this type of fraud and to set clear procedures for confirming payment requests.