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CRIME

Swiss crime rate above European average: study

Switzerland's crime rate is rising and reaching levels above the European average, said a study released on Tuesday.

Published: 31 August 2011 09:22 CEST

“We have noted a big increase in assaults and robberies in Switzerland and we have slightly surpassed the European average,” Martin Killias, a criminologist at the University of Zurich and the author of the study told AFP.  

“This means that half of European countries have better results than Switzerland,” he explained.  

Based on a survey of 2,000 people between 2006 and 2010, Killias said that 7.1 percent of respondents had reported being burgled at home, compared to 5.1 percent in 2004 when the previous study was released.  

Such burglaries “are more and more organized and now even cross borders” and are thus no longer a uniquely national phenomenon, he explained.  

Killias said that the recent surge in the price of gold was encouraging thieves to look for jewellery “which can be found in any apartment”.  

Assaults and threats have also risen, affecting over 10 percent of respondents compared to 7.2 percent in 2004, he said.  

“This is due to the crazy evolution of the Swiss nightlife, which does not have any equal in Europe,” Killias said.  

“This nocturnal society” which consumes more alcohol is the main cause of the spike in assault figures, which did not include domestic abuse, he claimed.

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CRIME

‘Your permit is invalid’: How scammers in Switzerland target foreigners

Scores of foreign residents have received an email recently telling them their residency rights in Switzerland have been revoked.

Published: 26 April 2024 11:17 CEST
'Your permit is invalid': How scammers in Switzerland target foreigners

A number of foreign nationals, especially in the German-speaking part of the country, have received an official-looking letter, purportedly from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) informing them that the Free Movement of People agreement between Switzerland and the EU has been nullified, and therefore “your residence permit is no longer valid.”

Faced with enquiries from concerned recipients, SEM responded that the letter is fake, advising recipients to ignore it and, above all, not to click on the QR code on the top.

“Fake letters from the SEM have been circulating since the beginning of this week,” the immigration authority said on its website as well as on X (formerly Twitter).  

“The letter has no impact on the recipient’s  residence status,” SEM added.

Fake jobs, real threats

However, this is only the latest scam perpetrated in the name of SEM.

There have been others in the past.

For instance, many foreigners have also received emails from addresses swissimmigration@consultant or eu_immigration@consultant, that pretend to be the Swiss immigration authority.

“In most cases, a fictitious job in the hotel industry is offered, with the senders demanding payment of 300 to 1,000 euros for a permit in Switzerland and for health and accident insurance,” SEM reported.

The first clue that this email doesn’t come from  SEM, which is part of Switzerland’s government, is that it is asking for payment in euros. If the scammers were smarter, they’d demand Swiss francs.

“These e-mails do not come from the SEM and should be considered as an attempt at fraud,” the agency said. 

Extortion attempt

And a few years ago, a number of foreigners received emails coming allegedly from SEM, Swiss border control authorities, or even the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol).

They threatened to revoke the victim’s residence permit or even expel them from the country altogether if they didn’t pay a certain sum of money into an anonymous account.

Needless to say, no government authority would ever resort to blackmail or demand payment for such ‘services’.

So a good rule to remember (for foreigners and Swiss alike) is that if threats and pressure are involved, letters / emails / phone calls ( WhatsUp messages are more than likely scams.
 
READ ALSO: The common scams foreigners in Switzerland need to be aware of 

Don’t respond

SEM as well as police urge everyone contacted by scammers, by whatever means to:

  • Ignore these messages by hanging up the phone and / or deleting emails, moving them to the Spam folder
  • Never give out your credit card number or bank account information to people you don’t know
  • If you did give your card number, contact your credit card company immediately to have the card blocked. Likewise, if you gave out your banking details, get in touch with your bank.
  • In the event of threats of extortion attempts, consider filing a criminal complaint. You can search for police stations in your area on the Police website. 
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