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CRIME

New allegations in Credit Suisse spying scandal: Swiss media

Fresh allegations over a major spying scandal that cost the head of Credit Suisse his job emerged on Sunday as Swiss media reported another alleged spying case.

Published: 24 October 2021 14:52 CEST
the front entrance of the headquarters of Swiss bank Credit Suisse in Zurich
Credit Suisse planned seven observations in recent years, according to Swiss financial watchdog FINMA. SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP

Credit Suisse chief executive Tidjane Thiam was forced to resign in February 2020 after revelations the bank had hired investigators to follow Iqbal Khan, head of international wealth management, because he had opted to move to arch-rival UBS.

It also emerged that Credit Suisse had spied on the former head of human resources.

READ ALSO: Switzerland’s Credit Suisse settles with star banker over spying scandal

On Sunday, Le Matin Dimanche and the SonntagsZeitung reported that the bank had also planned to have the ex-husband of Thiam’s partner followed.

Citing unnamed sources, the newspapers said it was not clear whether this actually happened, but added it was highly probable that Thiam knew about the plans.

Contacted by AFP, Credit Suisse said it did not comment “on specific FINMA enforcement matters nor on any speculation related to third parties, former or current employees.”

FINMA is Switzerland’s financial watchdog.

The fresh allegations come after FINMA announced this week that its probe “revealed that in the period between 2016 and 2019 Credit Suisse planned seven observations, most of which were carried out”.

“In two cases, members of the executive board were observed in Switzerland and, in addition, other former employees and third parties abroad.”

In its probe conclusions, FINMA identified “serious breaches of supervisory law”.

READ ALSO: Probe unearths second spying case at Credit Suisse

This week, the regulator imposed punitive measures on the bank, reprimanded two individuals, and opened enforcement proceedings against three others.

The scandal sent shockwaves through banking circles. According to reports, the surveillance also targeted the environmental organisation Greenpeace.

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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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