Hackers presenting themselves as a company in Africa have stolen 565,000 euros (about 644,100 U.S. dollars) from a shipping company registered in Cyprus, police said on Wednesday.

The Limassol-based shipping company reported to the police that a few days ago they received an email purportedly coming from their fuel suppliers, a company in Africa, requesting that money owed to it for fuel be deposited to a bank account different from the one used up to now.

The shipping company complied making two deposits on July 28 and July 29, to the new account. It found out that it had been defrauded, when the fuel company sent an email asking for its payment.

The service dealing with cyber crime has traced the money in Poland.

Cypriot police have asked for Interpol's help to locate the hackers.