The Basel-Stadt cantonal police are currently reporting a surge in fraudulent phone calls in the region. The perpetrators’ aim is always to obtain their victims’ financial resources or sensitive data through targeted deception. The methods used are varied and constantly changing. Sometimes the callers impersonate bank employees, sometimes they promise tax refunds or announce insurance payouts. In all cases, the people contacted are pressured into taking actions that are supposedly in their own best interest.

The fraudsters usually try to obtain private information in order to gain access to bank accounts or credit cards. Sometimes they even combine different methods such as phishing (email), vishing (phone), and smishing (SMS).

To protect against such telephone scams, the police recommend the following rules of conduct:

• Never let yourself be pressured on the phone. End the call immediately if you have any doubts about the caller’s identity.
• Never disclose bank details, passwords, codes, credit card numbers, or other personal and financial information.
• If in doubt, never call back using the number displayed on your phone or the number provided by the caller. Only use officially published phone numbers of authorities or companies that you have verified yourself.
• Never install apps on your mobile phone or programs on your computer based on a telephone request.
• Telephone scammers also use public directories. Check if you can reduce your first name to its initial in the phone book or have unnecessary information removed.
• Raise awareness about these scams, especially among elderly or single people in your community.
• Report suspicious calls to the police immediately.

Since these fraudulent attempts are not limited to the telephone, but increasingly also take place via email or SMS, the following additional rules of conduct apply:

• Never click on links in emails or text messages from unknown senders.
• Do not enter passwords, codes, or credit card details on websites you have opened via a link in a message.
• Never forward security codes that you receive via SMS.
• Never grant strangers remote access to your devices (eg, via remote software).
• If you suspect you have already been a victim of fraud, change your passwords immediately for all affected services and inform your financial institution.
• Always use different and strong passwords for different online services.
• Report suspicious digital messages to the police or via the official cybercrime reporting centers.

You can learn more about cybersecurity and how to protect yourself against fraud at the Swiss English-language link https://cybersecurityforyou.ch/en.

Advertisement