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Violent fare-dodger jailed by Zurich court

An Austrian man who tried to evade police after being caught fare-dodging in Zurich last year was jailed this week for pulling a gun on his pursuers and firing several shots.

Published: 21 August 2014 22:47 CEST
Violent fare-dodger jailed by Zurich court
The Austrian was caught without a ticket on a Zurich bus. Photo: Tim Adams

The 49-year-old Austrian, a Swiss resident, was caught travelling on a bus without a ticket in February 2013.

Confronted by fare inspectors, the man refused to cooperate or identify himself and absconded when inspectors called police to the scene.

Police officers then gave chase, before the Austrian pulled out a pistol and fired five shots.  

Fortunately, no one was injured.

The man eventually barricaded himself inside the home of a retired couple.

After threatening the pensioners with his weapon, he stole the woman's bicycle and continued his escape on two wheels.

Police tracked down the man some hours later and arrested him.

In court in Zurich this week the 49-year-old claimed he had the weapon with him because he was planning to sell it to another man.  

He was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, he added, and acted out of fear and panic, with no intention to hurt anyone.

The court found him guilty of multiple attempted homicide, multiple counts of endangering life and liberty, as well as weapon-related offenses.  

He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and outpatient therapy for addiction issues.

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CRIME

How to avoid the ‘police’ phone scam in Switzerland

The Swiss government has issued a warning about an increasing number of fake calls purporting to be from police. But there are ways to avoid this scam.

Published: 18 April 2024 13:20 CEST
How to avoid the 'police' phone scam in Switzerland

Switzerland’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has been monitoring the phenomenon of fake calls from alleged police authorities for nine months now.

But in the last three weeks, reports of this scam have almost tripled, the NCSC said, indicating just how widespread it is.

What is this about?

The scam begins with a call coming, allegedly, from police or another Swiss authority.

A voice, which the NCSC describes as ‘robotic’, informs the person who answers the call that their personal banking data is involved in criminal activities, or makes a similar alarming (but false) claim.

According to the NCSC, “it is not a person who calls, but a software The machine randomly tries Swiss phone numbers throughout the day. If the number is invalid, it simply moves on to the next one.”

“By using this software, the number of calls that can be made is virtually unlimited. It could go through practically all the phone numbers in Switzerland in a day,” the Centre adds.

After raising alarm about your bank account, the fake ‘policeman’ will urge you to “press 1” to be put in touch with a human being and obtain more information.

If you do this and, worse yet, divulge your personal data to the caller, you risk having your computer and credit card hacked.

What should you do (and not do) if you get this call?

The most obvious answer is to immediately hang up because, as the NCSC explains, “real police never play recorded phone messages. They also never ask for money or sensitive personal data over the phone.”

To that end, the Centre recommends that anyone receiving this call: 

  • Should hang up as soon as you hear the recorded message
  • Not press 1, or any other numbers, during the telephone conversation
  • Not get drawn into a conversation.
  • Never grant access to your computer, not even via remote maintenance software.
  • Never reveal prepaid card activation codes.

A fake tax refund

While the ‘police scam’ is the latest attempt at extortion reported to the NCSC, it is far from a unique case.

Scores of them are reported to the authorities each year, including the one reported earlier in 2024.

It involved phishing emails about alleged tax refund entitlements.

However, the link in the email leads to a phishing page. 

Here too, authorities advise to ignore these emails, not click on the link, and not enter any personal data on the phishing page.

READ ALSO : The common scams foreigners in Switzerland need to be aware of

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