Fake police scams becoming more and more frequent in Switzerland – rts.ch

The latest scams date from this weekend with 11 cases reported since Friday in the canton of Neuchâtel, and 20 other cases have been reported in the canton of Bern in two weeks, with damage of 20,000 francs. In the canton of Vaud, two women were arrested last week and the canton of Geneva, which experienced a peak at the start of the year, has recorded a total of damages since November 2023 which exceeds 2 million francs.

A few minutes later, someone physically shows up at the home (…) and steals the bank cards

“Shock then reassure”

The criminals always start with a phone call announcing themselves as the cantonal police who are calling because the victim’s bank account has been hacked. They continue by reassuring her, indicating that a police officer will visit her.

“The first step is always to shock the person and then reassure them,” explains Georges-André Lozouet, spokesperson for the Neuchâtel police, speaking to La Matinale on Tuesday. “A few minutes later, someone physically showed up at the home (…) and stole the bank cards (…) and access codes to empty the accounts.”

The cantonal police point out that agents never come to the home to leave with bank cards.

The criminals who act in French-speaking Switzerland generally come from France, are well-spoken and very clever.

Elderly people particularly victims

As elderly people are particularly affected by these scams, because they are more vulnerable, the cantonal police are calling on those around them to be very vigilant.

But it is not always easy to get the message across in this age group, according to Delphine Roulet Schwab, professor at the Haute Ecole de la Santé La Source in Lausanne. “Many prevention campaigns are carried out via the internet,” explains the specialist in violence against the elderly.

Radio subject: Deborah Sohlbank and Romain Bardet

Adaptation web: juma