A job offer includes the receipt and transfer of money. Your own bank account has to be used for this.
Job offers like this should be treated with caution, as accepting them could have criminal consequences. Typically, you're sent money to your bank account, asked to keep a small commission, and then instructed to transfer the rest to another account, often abroad. This money usually comes from illegal activities. Scammers use these kinds of jobs to recruit people to help them move money obtained through fraud, or launder it. In another version of the scam, money appears in your account unexpectedly. Then someone contacts you, claiming it was a mistake and asking you to forward the money to a different account. Do not transfer any money and stop all contact immediately.
Specific measures
Preventive measures
How the NCSC can help
Further Information
- Do not transfer any money and stop all contact immediately.
- Even if you have inadvertently acted as a money mule and therefore potentially broken the law (Art. 305bis of the Swiss Criminal Code), you should still report the cybercrime to the police.
- Inform your bank and the police about the transactions you have made.
- Be suspicious of lucrative job offers that promise quick earnings for little or no work.
- Never make your bank accounts available to third parties.
- Never transfer money from your account if you are not sure of its origin. Instead, have your bank transfer the funds back to the sender.
- Your report via the online form helps the NCSC identify trends. This makes it possible for the NCSC to raise public awareness in a targeted way.
- If an IBAN has been misused for fraudulent purposes, the NCSC can report this to the law enforcement authorities.
Last modification 09.10.2025
