Fake police officer scams increasing

There has been a growing number of calls in recent days in which people pretend to be police officers. The police are aware of several dozen cases.

In the past few days, telephone fraudsters have again been very active in Central Switzerland. The police have received several dozen reports from people who detected the scam in good time.

This is how they try to trick you: the fraudsters pretend to be policemen and make up stories with the intention of obtaining large sums of money, account information or passwords from their victims. The perpetrators are very skilful, and often misuse the well-known and trustworthy telephone numbers of authorities and companies, The police emergency number 117 may appear on the telephone display, for example,. The (fake) trustworthy identity is meant to ensure that the victims do not become suspicious.

The police want to warn everyone about these scams. In their communication, the Central Swiss Police Corps give tips and tricks to prevent you from becoming a victim;

• Be suspicious if a police officer asks you to withdraw large sums of money and hand them over to a stranger, or to deposit it somewhere. The police will never ask you for large sums of cash, and especially not by telephone.
• Become suspicious if a caller asks you to make payments or wants you to reveal sensitive data, such as account information or passwords. Even if the caller says they need this information for comparison or identification.
• If the "117" appears on your display, do not answer the call, but immediately inform the police in your canton. The police will never call you via the emergency number.
• If there is uncertainty, ask for a number where you can call back. Never use the ‘callback’ button on your mobile phone, but call the official number of the local police instead. Ask them if they really wanted to contact you.
• Phone scammers search for their victims in the public phone book. They are specifically looking for people with a ‘traditional’ first name, as this could provide an indication of age. Protect yourself by only publishing the first letter of your first name. You can change your phone book entry directly online.
• Take warnings from bank employees seriously, and allow them to notify the police if there is any doubt.
• Remember the names and phone numbers of the caller, and report them to the police.

Further information on spoofing can be found on the Swiss Crime Prevention website:  www.skppsc.ch/spoofing