Cyprus Police issued a public alert on 20 January after several residents were defrauded by a website masquerading as the UK Home Office visa-application portal. Victims entered personal and banking data expecting to book visa appointments; instead, attackers siphoned money from their accounts.
Investigators say the fake portal closely mirrors the look and feel of the official GOV.UK pages, including identical colour schemes and form fields, but redirects payments to shell companies outside the EU. The case underscores a surge in visa-related cyber-fraud exploiting post-Brexit travel demand, particularly among students and seasonal workers.
![Police warn of bogus UK-visa website after victims lose bank funds]()
Authorities urge anyone applying for UK entry clearance to verify URLs, use secure payment channels and consult reputable travel-advisory sites. The police cyber-crime unit is cooperating with British counterparts to trace the domain and freeze proceeds under international anti-money-laundering rules.
For mobility managers organising UK business travel from Cyprus, the incident is a reminder to steer employees toward authorised Visa Application Centres (VACs) and official GOV.UK payment gateways. Companies should update travel-security briefings and consider reimbursing visa fees directly to reduce employee exposure to online scams.
Investigators say the fake portal closely mirrors the look and feel of the official GOV.UK pages, including identical colour schemes and form fields, but redirects payments to shell companies outside the EU. The case underscores a surge in visa-related cyber-fraud exploiting post-Brexit travel demand, particularly among students and seasonal workers.
Authorities urge anyone applying for UK entry clearance to verify URLs, use secure payment channels and consult reputable travel-advisory sites. The police cyber-crime unit is cooperating with British counterparts to trace the domain and freeze proceeds under international anti-money-laundering rules.
For mobility managers organising UK business travel from Cyprus, the incident is a reminder to steer employees toward authorised Visa Application Centres (VACs) and official GOV.UK payment gateways. Companies should update travel-security briefings and consider reimbursing visa fees directly to reduce employee exposure to online scams.
Source: Cyprus Mail
