The weeks in review

25.11.2025 - As the days get shorter and temperatures drop, discounts are heating up. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday fast approaching, online retailers are preparing for the busiest time of the year. Consumers are looking for the best deals. And, unfortunately, scammers are busy too – and they're ready to profit from the rush.

18.11.2025 - There have been an increasing number of reports in recent weeks of scam websites claiming to belong to real Swiss companies. The affected companies often do not have their own website but are listed in the ZEFIX commercial register. Companies with a web presence can also be targeted. Scammers deliberately exploit the "Swissness factor" to create a sense of trust, as Swiss companies are generally considered reliable and trustworthy. Scammers exploit this perception to manipulate their victims.

11.11.2025 - Fewer and fewer people are falling for mass phishing attempts, so scammers are constantly refining their tactics. Instead of sending out large numbers of identical emails, they now focus on current social and economic issues and adapt their scams accordingly. Their messages are more targeted and sophisticated, designed to appear credible to the specific people they want to reach.

04.11.2025 - The NCSC has received reports of cases where iPhone owners have received a text message claiming that their lost or stolen device has been found abroad, months after it went missing. While such messages offer the hope of getting your phone back, they are in fact a targeted attempt to steal your Apple ID credentials. This week's review examines how these scams work in more detail.

28.10.2025 - The NCSC regularly receives questions from concerned members of the public such as: "How do the scammers know my name, my bank, or even my address?" It's a fair question. Fraudulent calls and emails often seem convincing precisely because they contain personal details we assume are private. The answer is complex and demonstrates just how methodical modern cybercriminals have become.

21.10.2025 - The NCSC regularly receives reports of phishing emails targeting TWINT users. These scams aim to steal credit card details or take over TWINT accounts – and not all of them rely on phishing websites. One recent case, which looked harmless at first but turned out to be carefully planned, involved a personal message and an early-morning money request designed to catch people off guard.

14.10.2025 - Scam attempts come in many forms and are a regular topic in the NCSC's weekly reviews. In this case, however, it is not necessarily law-abiding citizens who are being duped. The focus is instead on people who don't always play by the rules themselves.

07.10.2025 - Exercise caution when selling things online. A well-known scam involving classified ad platforms has taken a dangerous turn: in addition to using phishing websites to harvest credit card details, criminals are now trying to trick victims into installing malware. Info stealer malware captures not just individual login credentials, but all passwords, financial details, and personal data stored on the computer. This week's review examines this new tactic and explains how you can protect yourself.

30.09.2025 - Last week the NCSC received an uptick in reports of phishing attempts that combine phishing with bogus support calls. The aim is to apply pressure and single out particularly susceptible targets.

23.09.2025 - Last week, the NCSC received a higher than usual number of reports about recovery scams. With this type of scam, people who have already fallen victim to investment fraud are targeted a second time. The scammers claim to have recovered the missing money and offer to return it – for a fee. To lend credibility, they often invoke public institutions, for example by posing as an NCSC employee.

16.09.2025 - Classified ad fraud is among the offences reported most frequently to the police, and it is also frequently reported to the NCSC. The fraudsters target both sellers and buyers. When you buy something on the internet, you have to decide whether to pay first and then have the item delivered, or await delivery and then make the payment. Where a large sum of money is involved, so-called trust services come into play: a trust service provider retains the amount paid until the item is safely delivered. This week's review shows that fraudsters go to great lengths to get around these trust services and achieve their ends.

09.09.2025 - The NCSC is currently receiving a large number of reports about fake text messages purporting to be parking fines in western Switzerland. What stands out is that the people targeted by these phishing texts had in fact recently been in the places mentioned. This suggests that the scammers are using portable mobile phone stations – small devices that can be carried in a rucksack and which allow the scammers to intercept signals and send manipulated text messages.

02.09.2025 - Last week, we received numerous reports about fake ads and videos featuring President Karin Keller-Sutter. For this reason, this week's review will focus on the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate content. Scammers are using deepfakes to portray the finance minister as a supposed supporter of fraudulent investment platforms. Their goal is to exploit people's trust in public officials to trick them into taking part in a scam – in this instance, making a fake investment. This week's review explains how you can recognise a scam video or ad, and how you can protect yourself.

26.08.2025 - Over the past week, the NCSC has seen a significant rise in reports of phishing text messages with fake parcel notifications. In this scam, attackers pose as Swiss Post or DPD in an attempt to steal sensitive information from people. Apple users are targeted particularly often. This week's review explains how to recognise these messages and protect yourself.

19.08.2025 - Last week, we received two reports of cases where attackers tried to trick recipients into installing malware. These show just how much the methods have changed: Getting malware onto a computer is much harder today than it was a few years ago. Attackers are now increasingly relying on sophisticated social engineering to achieve their aims.