According to a case published on 23 September 2026 by Zurich cantonal police on cybercrimepolice.ch, fraudsters send a fake travel confirmation bearing the name and logo of a well-known travel agency, with a button to view the details. The link leads to a copy of the agency's website, which first shows a so-called security check, then a hotel booking that has supposedly been paid and qualifies for a refund.
To process the refund, the fake site asks for credit card details. The victim is then asked to confirm a payment request in their banking app or to enter a one-time code. Presented as the last step of the refund, this confirmation in reality authorises a charge to the card.
In practiceA refund never requires you to confirm a payment or to enter a code. If you have entered your card details on such a site, have the card blocked by your bank at once, then file a complaint with the cantonal police.
Valais, around thirty phone scams in a single week
In a press release of 22 September 2026, Valais cantonal police say they recorded around thirty fraud cases and attempts in one week, with total losses of close to 150,000 francs. The fraudsters present themselves as police officers, bank employees or other trustworthy people. They first build trust, then put pressure on the victim to act quickly.
The police point to the use of spoofing, a technique that makes a familiar or even official number appear on the screen when the call actually comes from the fraudsters. The number displayed therefore does not prove who is calling. The police also ask relatives to pass the warning on, especially to older people.
In practiceAfter a call of this kind, do not hand over money or a bank card and do not give out any code. If in doubt, hang up and call the organisation back on a number you know. Attempts can be reported on 117.
Young people recruited online to receive goods bought with stolen cards
In a press release of 22 September 2026, Fribourg cantonal police say that bank details stolen in cyberattacks were used to order electronic equipment online. The investigation has identified 124 fraudulent orders, 187 compromised credit cards and estimated losses of more than 100,000 francs.
Teenagers and young adults recruited on social media agreed to receive the parcels, collect the goods, resell them or transfer money. Of the 77 people identified as suspects, nearly half are minors and 68 have already been reported to the competent authorities. The investigation, which led to 24 arrests and searches, is continuing.
In practiceReceiving parcels or passing on money for a stranger in exchange for payment can lead to a criminal report, minors included. The police ask parents to take notice when a teenager suddenly has money or expensive goods without a credible explanation, and advise cardholders to switch on two-factor authentication and check their statements regularly.
A network of fake investment platforms dismantled in Kyiv
Ukraine's National Police and the country's Security Service (SBU) have announced the dismantling of a network of fake investment platforms operated from Kyiv. Sixty-two victims have been identified so far, including in Germany, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, and the network targeted more than twenty countries. At the height of its activity, the network is reported to have diverted up to USD 1 million a month.
The method is a familiar one. The victim sees the balance climb on screen, the withdrawal is then blocked and the victim is asked to approve a small test transaction, which in reality gives the fraudsters access to the wallet. Investigators say they are still working to identify further victims.
In practiceDo not approve any test transaction presented to you as a condition for a withdrawal, since that is precisely the step that gives the fraudsters access to your wallet.
Fake calls in the name of the authorities down by more than 75%
In its report on the first half of 2026, the National Cyber Security Centre says it received 27,128 voluntary reports. Fraudulent calls made in the name of the authorities regularly accounted for more than 400 of them a month. In July 2026 they fell below 100, after the obligation to mark calls from abroad that spoof a Swiss number was extended to mobile phones on 1 July. Landlines had been covered since January 2026.
The same report notes that job seekers were specifically targeted during the period, with fake job offers and fake investment schemes whose content was personalised using artificial intelligence.
In practiceCalls of this kind still come in. If one of them asks for money or for your login details in the name of the police or another authority, hang up and call the authority back on a number you have looked up yourself.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) reports an unusual campaign. Paper letters, presented as coming from the provider of the recipient's cryptocurrency wallet, invite the recipient to scan a QR code in order to install a security update urgently. The site that opens looks like the provider's own, and most of its links actually lead to the genuine site. Only the section devoted to the supposed update, named “Quantum Resistance”, leads to the fraudsters' page, which asks for the recovery phrase in order to activate the protection.
The scheme relies on combining paper, which people associate with seriousness, with the digital world, so that a letter inspires trust where a simple email would have aroused suspicion. As the NCSC points out, anyone who holds the 12 or 24 words of the recovery phrase has full control of the wallet.
In practiceDo not enter your recovery phrase on any website, even one you reached from a letter bearing the provider's name. If you have already done so, move your funds to a new wallet without delay.
On 15 May 2026, nine people aged 18 to 27 were arrested in the Lausanne area as part of an investigation into fake bank adviser scams. Five of them were remanded in custody. More than CHF 36,000 in cash and numerous bank cards were seized.
According to the Vaud cantonal police, the callers pose as bank employees and claim that an urgent online banking update is needed or that a suspicious transaction has been detected. Under pressure, the victim transfers funds to a supposedly secure account or agrees to let someone take remote control of their computer. The investigation continues under the direction of the Public Prosecutor's Office.
In practiceA bank never asks you to move your assets to another account to keep them safe. End the call and contact your bank on the number shown on your bank documents.
Fake fund recovery, call centres shut down in Tirana
On 17 April 2026, the Austrian and Albanian authorities, supported by Eurojust, took action against call centres based in Tirana. Ten people were arrested and EUR 891,735 in cash was seized. The losses are put at more than EUR 50 million.
According to Eurojust, the perpetrators later contacted victims of fake platforms again, offered to recover their funds, had them open a cryptocurrency account and deposit EUR 500.
In practiceA recovery offer that comes after a scam, especially one that asks for a deposit, should be treated as a new attempt. Pay nothing and report it to the police.
FINMA made more than 300 entries on its warning list in 2025
At its annual press conference, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority said it had made more than 300 entries on its warning list in 2025, a record. It opened some 450 investigations into companies and individuals that may be carrying out activities requiring authorisation without being authorised.
A listing is not a court ruling. It flags a company whose activity, in FINMA's view, appears to require an authorisation that it does not hold.
In practiceBefore sending money to a platform, search for its name and the exact address of its website on the FINMA warning list, then check whether it appears among the authorised institutions.
936 fake police officer cases in the canton of Vaud in 2025
The caller claims to act on behalf of the police, invokes a danger or an investigation and pushes the victim to put their money out of harm's way by handing it to an intermediary or transferring it. In the canton of Vaud, these cases rose from 369 to 936 in one year, an increase of 153.7%, whereas fewer than 40 cases had been recorded in 2023. In 2025, 265 scams succeeded and 671 went no further than an attempt. Losses amounted to CHF 1,428,850, compared with CHF 1,104,421 in 2024.
According to the canton of Vaud, this type of scam mainly targets older people.
In practiceThe police do not ask you to move your money. If a caller invites you to do so, hang up and call your police station back on a number you have looked up yourself.