The weeks in review

11.08.2026 - The NCSC's four-part summer series demonstrated just how capable today's AI models are, and how scammers are already using AI. Now it's your turn. Test your knowledge and see whether you can tell real photos from AI-generated images.

04.08.2026 - This final instalment of the NCSC's summer series focuses on AI-generated, interactive videos produced using existing images and audio recordings, and on future developments in this field. Artificial intelligence (AI) can quickly generate videos from still images. At present, around ten seconds of audio is needed to clone a voice convincingly.

28.07.2026 - Deepfake interviews featuring public figures are often used to promote fraudulent investment opportunities. They can also be used for bullying or blackmail by depicting someone in a compromising situation. In this instalment of its four-part summer series, the NCSC looks at face swapping. With the help of AI, it is now possible to replace faces in seconds with little effort and deceptively realistic results.

21.07.2026 - It is becoming increasingly difficult to identify text and websites that have been generated using artificial intelligence (AI). Reports to the NCSC involving emails and websites created with the help of AI continue to increase. As AI models keep improving, many of the warning signs that used to give them away are disappearing. That makes it all the more important to know what to look out for. In the second part of its summer series, the NCSC explains how to spot AI-generated texts and websites.

14.07.2026 - Artificial intelligence has long been part of everyday life and is increasingly being used in scams too. Deceptively realistic emails, professionally designed websites and AI-generated images can now be created in just a few minutes. In this year's summer series, the NCSC will explain how scammers use AI-generated images and how to recognise fakes.

07.07.2026 - The holiday season is also peak time for cybercriminals. Fake booking platforms, fraudulent ticket websites and stolen smartphones can quickly turn a planned break into a major source of stress. However, a few simple precautions can significantly reduce the risks.

30.06.2026 - In recent weeks, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has received reports of a scam in which cybercriminals exploit people's trust in video conferencing platforms. Victims are sent invitations to fake Zoom meetings and prompted to download a supposedly necessary update, which in reality contains malware or a remote access tool. Similar scams following the same pattern have also been observed internationally for Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.

23.06.2026 - Last week, the NCSC received a higher than usual number of reports about a scam involving fake voicemail messages sent via email. The scammers imitate the design of well-known Microsoft services, aiming either to lure victims to phishing sites or to trick them into installing malware.

16.06.2026 - This week, the NCSC received a report of a sophisticated scam combining a physical document and digital phishing techniques. Scammers place fake Swiss Post collection notes, known as "Avis de passage", in people's letterboxes.

09.06.2026 - Job seekers are increasingly being targeted by cybercriminals. The hope of landing a new job, along with the associated willingness to react quickly and engage with unfamiliar procedures, lowers vigilance. Attackers exploit this systematically, deploying their entire arsenal – from phishing and classic scams to the distribution of malware.

02.06.2026 - The NCSC has noted an uptick in reports of fraudulent WhatsApp messages relating to hotel bookings. The perpetrators are using particularly sophisticated and highly convincing scams to obtain credit card details from their victims.

26.05.2026 - The NCSC has identified a sophisticated scam involving cybercriminals taking over WhatsApp accounts. Victims receive a message that appears to be from someone they know, asking them to vote for their child in a competition. Anyone who follows the link and unsuspectingly enters a verification code or scans the QR code on the scam website immediately loses access to their WhatsApp account. This week's review explains how to prevent this kind of attack and how to recover your WhatsApp account if it has been hacked.

19.05.2026 - The Ice Hockey World Championship has just begun, and the FIFA World Cup is already on the horizon. But fans are not the only ones looking forward to major events like these – scammers also see them as an opportunity to deceive supporters and make money. Last week, the NCSC received several reports of websites linked to the FIFA World Cup that copied official ticket outlets. But criminals also exploit opportunities outside major events to deceive people looking for tickets.

12.05.2026 - Whether it's an inheritance, a lottery win or a generous donation, you're told that all you need to do to access the promised money is pay a few fees in advance. What may sound tempting at first turns out, on closer inspection, to be a classic advance-fee scam. This scam is nothing new. Criminals have been deceiving their victims in this way for centuries. The reason it is still successful today is largely due to its constant adaptability. Scammers repeatedly draw on current topics and events to make their stories seem credible. Currently, cybercriminals are deliberately exploiting geopolitical crises to create an impression of legitimacy, build trust, and ultimately scam people out of money.

05.05.2026 - Over the past week, the NCSC has received a spike in reports about fraudulent messages purporting to be from well-known parcel delivery companies such as Swiss Post, DHL and DPD. A particularly devious development is now emerging: "double phishing", where scammers follow up the initial data theft with a phone call.