Calls from fake authorities at record high

The Federal Office for Cyber Security (BACS) has been monitoring the phenomenon of fake calls from alleged police authorities for nine months now. In the last three weeks, reports to the BACS about this phenomenon have almost tripled and are responsible for the highest number of reports received since the contact point was founded. However, the high number of incoming reports is not only negative.

Editorial - April 19, 2024

Since summer 2023, the BACS has been receiving an increasing number of fake calls from alleged police authorities. The scam starts with a phone call from a supposed police or customs authority claiming, for example, that personal bank account details have been found in connection with a criminal offense. There are various variants. What they all have in common, however, is that a computer-generated voice speaks in impeccable English and asks the person called to press the "1" key to obtain further information. You are then connected to a supposed police officer.

After an initial large wave of calls last fall and a subsequent decline in the winter months, the number of reports received by BACS has exploded in recent weeks. The attackers have obviously intensified their business model.

The trick with pressing the "1" button

The attacks are similar to the calls in the name of Microsoft that have been observed for some time. Here, the fraudster calls the victim directly and claims that the caller's computer is infected. As most callers saw through the scam immediately, they either hung up straight away or the scammers had to deal with angry people who expressed their displeasure at such fraudulent calls. The perpetrators have therefore come up with a more effective variant: in the current variant, it is no longer a person who calls, but a machine. This machine randomly tries out Swiss telephone numbers throughout the day. If the number is invalid, it immediately calls the next one; if it finds a valid one, the tape with the announcement is played and the victim is asked to press the "1" key. Only after pressing the "1" key is the called party connected to the fraudster. And this is also the reason why the "1" key should be pressed: Only those who at least begin to believe the story are connected to the fraudsters in this way.

High number of incoming reports is not only negative

With the use of such a machine, the number of calls is virtually unlimited. It could call practically every line in Switzerland in one day. The more sensitive the population is and the more calls are immediately abandoned, the more calls the fraudsters' machine has to make in order to generate enough potential victims who are then connected to the fraudsters. A high number of reports to BACS can therefore also mean something positive, namely that the majority of the population is sensitized, quickly sees through the scam and stops the call immediately.

Do not call back, the number displayed is fake

A Swiss cell phone number almost always appears on the display for these calls. The BACS repeatedly receives reports from people who have missed the call and call back to the displayed number. However, the owner of the phone number has no idea about the incident or the call and is not a police officer. In these cases, the displayed number belongs to telephone lines that have nothing to do with the call and are fake. The callers use Internet telephony and can falsify, disguise or suppress their telephone number as they wish. Sometimes the displayed number belongs to an actual connection, in other cases the number is not assigned to anyone, and since the displayed number belongs to a person who has nothing to do with the call, it cannot simply be blocked. If the number were to be blocked, the connection of an uninvolved person would be blocked, which would have even more serious consequences for them in addition to the annoyance caused by numerous callbacks from angry people. Misuse of the cell phone number is also very annoying for the owner. However, the calls usually stop after a while. If this is not the case, unfortunately the only option is often to change the phone number.

Recommendations

Cancel such phone calls immediately. Neither the police nor other authorities will make calls to gain access to your devices;
Do not allow anyone to access your devices remotely. If you have granted remote access, there is a possibility that your computer has been infected;
The first step is to uninstall the remote access program;
If an infection is suspected, have the computer examined immediately by a specialist and cleaned if necessary. The safest option is to completely reinstall the computer. However, do not forget to back up all personal data beforehand;
If you have suffered a financial loss, report the case to your bank and file a complaint.

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Calls from fake authorities at record high

The trick with pressing the "1" button

High number of incoming reports is not only negative

Do not call back, the number displayed is fake

Recommendations

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