Helping an older relative

People over 60, the most affected age group

According to the police crime statistics published by the Federal Statistical Office on 23 March 2026, the police recorded a total of 36,572 injured parties in the field of economic cybercrime in 2025, 81.2% of whom had been victims of online fraud. For online investment fraud, commission fraud, fake requests for help and romance scams, the most affected age group was people over 60. The sole exception was cases in which an item ordered on a classified ads platform was never delivered.

In April 2025, the Geneva police launched a prevention campaign against fake police officer scams, with a letter sent to people aged 64 and over and a social media campaign aimed at those close to older people. The entry Fake police officer, fake authority describes how these calls unfold.

Talking about it before the call

The subject is easier to raise in a calm moment, prompted by an alert or a press article, than the day after a worrying call. The Vaud police, for their part, ask older people to pass their advice on to those around them. When your relative knows the current scenarios, they are better able to recognise them when they arise, and they know they can talk to you about them without embarrassment.

The Vaud police point out that they never go to people's homes to collect belongings, bank cards or money. They ask people not to hand over to a stranger either their bank cards, cut up or not, or their PIN. If people have any doubt about the caller, the police advise hanging up without calling back with the redial button, and then calling 117 or the bank. The Geneva police add that the door should not be opened to a suspicious visitor and that 117 should then be called.

You can also agree on a simple habit together, for example that they will call you, or another person they trust, before acting on a request for money received over the telephone. Fake police officers often insist that the call be kept secret, and such an arrangement gives your relative a ready reason not to go along with that. The page Protect yourself sets out the other advice, which you can go through with them.

When they do not want to believe it

A person sometimes continues to send money to a so-called investment platform even after asking, without success, to get their capital back. The prevention website ebas.ch, published by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, describes this phase of investment fraud. The fraudster first points to special features of the investment that supposedly require further deposits, then puts the victim in touch with so-called superiors who reassure them and dangle better returns in exchange for further payments. The victim is next offered a retroactive insurance policy that they could supposedly have taken out at the start. At a loss, the victim sees themselves at the fraudster's mercy while still feeling that perhaps nothing is lost. It is when they realise that the money is gone that they turn to their bank and the police.

The same website recommends checking that the provider holds an authorisation from FINMA and, if in doubt, consulting one's bank adviser. Suggest that your relative carry out these checks with you, which leaves the decision with them while giving them facts they can verify. The page Check a platform explains where to look.

As long as your relative manages their own affairs, the decisions are theirs, including those you disagree with. If they wish, they can appoint a trusted person to manage their assets or represent them should they become incapable of judgement, by means of an advance care directive (art. 360 of the Civil Code, CC). Where an adult is prevented, for instance by a state of weakness affecting their personal condition, from safeguarding their own interests, the adult protection authority may appoint a deputy, ex officio or at the request of a relative (art. 390 CC). These measures go well beyond the question of scams and are worth discussing with a notary or a lawyer.

If it is too late

If your relative has handed over their card, PIN or money, the Geneva police recommend blocking the cards with the bank immediately and contacting the police on 117. Then keep the numbers that called, the messages and the bank statements, and help them file a criminal complaint. The page What to do describes these steps.

Anyone may report an offence to the police or the Office of the Public Prosecutor, in writing or orally (art. 301 para. 1 of the Criminal Procedure Code, CrimPC). Since fraud is prosecuted ex officio, except where it targets a relative or a member of the same household (art. 146 para. 3 of the Swiss Criminal Code, SCC), your report is enough to bring the matter before the authority, which will tell you on request what action it has taken (art. 301 para. 2 CrimPC). As you are not yourself an injured party, you have no other rights in the proceedings (art. 301 para. 3 CrimPC). Your relative, who is the injured party, can on the other hand become a private claimant and take part in the proceedings, so it is better to involve them in the process.

Your relative may be assisted by a legal agent to protect their interests (art. 127 para. 1 CrimPC). The law allows them to choose any trustworthy person who has civil capacity and is of good reputation, subject to the legislation on the legal profession (art. 127 para. 4 CrimPC). If you are thinking of taking on this role, ask the authority dealing with the case.

If the injured party dies without having waived their procedural rights, those rights pass to their relatives within the meaning of the Criminal Code, in the order of succession (art. 121 para. 1 CrimPC).

Fraudsters sometimes make contact again later. According to ebas.ch, where a so-called private detective, lawyer or prosecutor comes forward some time after an investment fraud, that person belongs to the gang that deceived the victim. If your relative receives such a call, help them check who they are dealing with by calling the authority or the law firm on a number you have looked up yourself.