Recognising a Twint scam
The authorities have described three scams specific to Twint, all of which try to make you confirm a request without reading it.
Receiving a payment requires no action on your part
When someone sends you money through Twint, the amount reaches your account without your having to click on or confirm anything. It follows that a request inviting you to accept a transaction in order to receive an amount will in reality lead to a payment from you.
According to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
The fake refund request
The notification often arrives early in the morning, and its wording suggests that a friend is paying back money owed to you. It is nevertheless a payment request, and depending on the app the words that say so can be hard to see. In October 2025 the NCSC noted that the fraudsters count precisely on drowsiness and on the automatic tap of someone who has just woken up.
The blocking threat and the fake customer service
In the scenario described by Zurich cantonal police in November 2024, a text message announces that your Twint account is about to be blocked and invites you to contact customer service through a WhatsApp link. The account that replies has the Twint logo as its profile picture, and the supposed adviser urges you to act. After a few exchanges, he sends you a link to a carefully made copy of the Twint website, where you are asked for your personal and banking details. In August 2026 the same police force described a variant in which a fake payment message points to a fraudulent hotline.
The fake identity check
In September 2024, Zurich cantonal police warned of an email claiming that you would no longer be able to use Twint without an immediate verification. The link leads to a fake Twint-branded site that asks for your name, your phone number and your bank details, and then for the code received by text message and your PIN. With that code, the fraudsters link your account to their own phone, with the result that you no longer have access to it.
What to do
Do not approve any request that is supposed to let you receive money. Twint never asks for your details by text message or WhatsApp, whether your PIN or your bank details.
Do not give the code received by text message to anyone, since it allows your account to be taken over. Read each request before confirming it, particularly when you have just woken up or when the amount looks familiar.
If you have already approved a request or given your details
- Change your Twint password straight away, together with the password of any account that uses the same login details.
- Alert your bank and Twint support, which can sometimes still block a payment or access to the account.
- Keep the message, the number and the screenshots, which will serve as evidence.
- File a complaint with the police even if the amount is small, since every report helps to link cases together.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to accept a Twint request to receive money?
No. A payment intended for you is credited automatically, and a request you have to accept means that the money is leaving your account.
Can Twint block my account by text message or WhatsApp?
The police point out that Twint never asks for personal or banking details by text message or WhatsApp. If you have neither opened the link nor replied, you can delete a message that threatens to block your account and offers you a link, after passing it on to the police if you wish. If, on the other hand, you have approved a request or given your details, keep the message, since it will serve as evidence in support of your complaint.
What happens if I have given away the code received by text message?
That code allows your Twint account to be linked to another device. Change your password without delay and alert your bank as well as Twint, then file a complaint.