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CRIME

People in Switzerland urged to be cautious after scam ‘text message attack’

Smartphone users in Switzerland have been warned after millions of text messages containing fake web links were sent out by fraudsters.

Published: 19 October 2021 13:13 CEST
A woman looks at her mobile phone.
A woman looks at her mobile phone. Illustration photo by Firmbee.com on Unsplash

The messages, written in German, ask the recipient to click on a link in order to read or listen to a multi-media message or to stop receiving further messages.

The aim of the hackers is to infect the user’s phone with malware – short for malicious software – to steal any passwords and personal information it contains.

The scope of this scam “is unheard of in Switzerland”, according to a Geneva daily newspaper, Le Temps, which reported the “massive wave of SMS attacks”.

All the links are unique and the messages are almost always sent from Swiss phone numbers although some may come from an Austrian number, Le Temps reports. The messaging app Signal has also reportedly been targeted. 

According to Le Temps Android phones are more vulnerable than iOS phones if the links are clicked on. The malware can even start sending out messages from your phone to people in your address book.

So if you receive a message from a friend with a strange link, don’t click it.

READ ALSO: The most common online scams in Switzerland and how to avoid them

The advice to smartphone users is simple: don’t click on the messages or any links within them.

Simply delete the messages as soon as they are received. 

Blocking the numbers won’t be effective as the messages are sent from different numbers. 

If you have received messages of this nature, report it to your network provider. 

Authorities in Switzerland reported a similar wave of scam text messages being sent in June

Phone operator Swisscom says it reports the messages systematically to the National Centre fo Cyber Security (NCSC).

The NCSC’s basic advice for people is: “Never install a program from a website via a link sent to you by text or email. Install only necessary programs and applications and always download them from the producer’s site or an official download platform.”

More information on how to avoid text message scams is available at the following government link. 

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CRIME

‘Your permit is invalid’: Foreigners in Switzerland warned to avoid new scam

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
Updated: 2 May 2024 15:04 CEST
'Your permit is invalid': Foreigners in Switzerland warned to avoid new scam

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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