fraud attempts have almost doubled in one year

Scams, including those using AI, have almost doubled in one year. A federal office warns.

Fraudulent job offers or so-called police calls, scam attempts have almost doubled in one year. Fraud attempts using artificial intelligence are also on the rise. A federal office is sounding the alarm.

In the second half of 2023, 30,331 cyber incidents were reported, the Federal Office for Cybersecurity (OFCS), which took over from the National Cybersecurity Center on January 1, said in its annual report on Monday. Over the same period, in 2022, 16,951 cases were recorded.

The number of phishing announcements is particularly increasing sharply. It increased from 2,179 in 2022 to 5,536 in 2023. The OFCS has also received an increasing number of announcements regarding fraud attempts via artificial intelligence (AI). According to the office, IT systems are very vulnerable and the reaction capacity in Switzerland is still weak.

Last week, the Federal Council noted errors by the Confederation in the context of the cyberattack against the company Xplain. (jah/ats)

Brian Keller, a high-profile ex-offender, is in custody after an attack in Zurich. He faces charges of grievous bodily harm.

Switzerland’s most publicized ex-offender is once again in custody. Zurich municipal police arrested Brian on Thursday evening following an assault. Proceedings were opened against him for serious bodily injury. Aged 28, he was released from prison last November after a prison odyssey of more than 10 years.