Fake police officers swindle large sum of money

Fraudsters are currently active in the canton of Zug, pretending to be police officers. One man has been defrauded of around EUR 170,000. The police are thereby warning the public about  this scam.

An 84-year-old man received a call from two fake police officers on 29th December 2020. According to the press release of the Zug Law Enforcement Authorities, the fraudsters told the victim that a notebook with his bank details had been found. In order to secure his assets, they asked the victim to grant them remote access to his computer using a code. The fraudsters thereby managed to transfer a total of around EUR 170,000 to a bank account in Turkey by means of several payments.

Several other reports about false police officers were also received by the Operations Control Centre of the Zug Police on Tuesday, 5th January. Fortunately, the persons called by the fraudsters all reacted correctly, and immediately ended the conversation.

The scammers keep coming up with new stories aimed at obtaining large sums of money, account information or passwords from their victims. The perpetrators are thereby extremely skilful.

The police want to warn everyone about these scams. In their communication, the Central Swiss Police Corps give tips and tricks to protect yourself 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