Crime in French-speaking Switzerland More and more cases of fraud by fake police officers
Western Switzerland is being hit particularly often by so-called fake police officers. Almost a thousand cases of fraud have already been reported in the first five months of this year.
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- The police have issued a warning after an increase in cases of shock calls from fake police officers to senior citizens.
- In the first five months of this year, almost 1000 such scams have already been registered.
- In the same period last year, the scam was registered almost 800 times.
In the cantons of French-speaking Switzerland - Geneva, Vaud, Fribourg, Valais, Neuchâtel and Jura - the number of cases of fraud committed by fake police officers has risen sharply. While almost 800 such offenses were registered in 2024 as a whole, the figure for the first five months of 2025 is already almost 1,000, reportsSRF. These figures come from the Vaud cantonal police and were published by Radio and Television of Western Switzerland (RTS).
The estimated amount of damage for the first few months of the year is over CHF 3 million. The figure for the previous year was 3.7 million francs. In view of this alarming development, the police authorities are stepping up their prevention measures.
These are showing initial success: more than half of the cases reported this year were failed attempts - and of the hundred or so perpetrators identified, two thirds were arrested.
Senior citizens as victims
The fraudsters mainly target older people. "To find their victims, [they] search online telephone directories for first names that are often associated with senior citizens," writes the Vaud cantonal police on its website.
The scam begins with a phone call in which the fake police officers confront their victims with made-up stories or shocking news in order to get their money.
They then announce that an alleged colleague is coming by to collect bank cards, money and jewelry. Meanwhile, the fraudsters keep the victim on the phone to prevent them from seeking help. "They brainwash the victim and, above all, they gain time by sending henchmen [to collect the loot] at the same time," Pierre Loetscher from the Fribourg cantonal police is quoted as saying on SRF.
Police feel powerless
The masterminds behind this scam often come from French-speaking countries. They are recruited via social networks as so-called "couriers". They then pose as fake police officers, collect the victims' valuables and make withdrawals using their bank cards
"They are promised a few hundred or thousand francs for two or three days' work, and they don't ask any questions," Loetscher continues. "We don't manage to put an end to this phenomenon because we do catch some, but there are always others."
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.
