Prevention campaign warns of telephone fraud attempts
Swiss authorities have already recorded 2,800 shock calls or "grandchild scam" fraud cases in 2023. Starting Thursday, a national prevention campaign will warn the public about this rapidly growing phenomenon.
Since the beginning of the year, three times more telephone fraud attempts have been registered than in the previous year, as the Swiss Crime Prevention SKP and the Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police Directors KKJPD announced on Thursday. Accordingly, the amount of damage amounted to eight million francs in 2023.
Shock calls are currently very popular. Unknown persons pretend to be doctors on the phone and demand an advance payment for an alleged emergency operation of a family member. Or the fraudsters pretend to be lawyers who want to get their daughter out of custody because she was involved in a traffic accident. Calls from fake police officers have also occurred.
Victims in a state of stress
However, the shocking messages are always untrue. Their aim is to put the victim in a state of stress that makes it difficult to act rationally. In such cases, the SKP and KKJPD advise to end the telephone conversation immediately and to contact the allegedly affected person. Under no circumstances should money be handed over or transferred.
A report to the police is also desired - even if the fraud attempt was unsuccessful. This could also support the difficult and time-consuming investigations. Most groups of perpetrators operate from abroad, which requires cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies.
The prevention campaign launched by SKP and KKJPD with the motto "Just hang up!" consists, among other things, of a TV spot, posters and social media information. Since they primarily target elderly people, the prevention campaign is supported by Pro Senectute. (SDA)
