Scams perpetrated by individuals and groups impersonating Swiss police officers and other law enforcement agencies are on the rise in many regions.
Among other common scams perpetrated in Switzerland, the ones pretending to come from police or public prosecutors’ offices are especially dangerous, as people tend to trust law enforcement more than, say, random callers.
And according to figures from the Federal Office for Cybersecurity (NCSC), 41,188 attempted frauds of this type were perpetrated in 2024 – the last year for which official data is available
These criminals are active through various channels: in addition to phone calls, they send emails, text messages, or letters.
A typical scenario
Though details may vary, typically this kind of a scam involves someone claiming to be from the police or public prosecutor’s office, who accuses the victim of a crime, demanding an immediate payment by credit card, so that all charges can be dropped.
Unfortunately, many people have fallen for this kind of unscrupulous scheme.
“I never would have thought this would happen to me,” a woman who received a call from someone claiming to be from the Aargau public prosecutor’s office and demanding payment to exonerate her from some fake crime, recounted.
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National trend
This scam is common in many regions.
In the Swiss German part, the number of cases has been increasing as well.
In St. Gallen, for instance, an 87-year-old woman who was defrauded of 30,000 francs by a fake police officer is just one example.
And in Bern, perpetrators stole – in just one month, September 2025 – 21,700 francs from unsuspecting individuals.
What about the French-speaking region?
They too record a spike in the ‘fake police’ scams.
In Valais, for instance, the cantonal police have recorded 70 such scams since November 2025, 22 of which have occurred since the beginning of January this year.
This has prompted the cantonal police (the legitimate ones) to issue a warning to the population – read more about this below.
The same scheme has also been signalled in Vaud (Lausanne), where the perpetrators – young French citizens – have been caught.
As for Fribourg, “police scams continue to plague the canton,” according to the canton’s press release.
For instance, in November 2025 alone, the scammers “made off with bank cards and cash, for a total loss of over 30,000 francs, as well as numerous pieces of jewelery worth several thousand francs.
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What should you do to avoid falling prey to fake police officers?
Valais police has issued this advice, which is the same as the one from the NCSC as well as other cantonal authorities:
- Do not give personal or banking information to someone you don’t know
- Never share your PIN and don’t give your bank card, money, or jewelery to a stranger.
- Don’t call any phone number sent via SMS or allow anyone else to use your computer.
In case of attempted fraud or suspicious behaviour, immediately contact nationwide police emergency number, 117.
READ MORE: The common scams foreigners in Switzerland need to be aware of
