14.09.2021 - Last week, in addition to the reports it received (which were within the normal range), the NCSC's focus was on a new development. With immediate effect, the NCSC's weekly statistics on the number and type of reports are available in interactive form, thereby simplifying data queries. Among the reports, the NCSC noted another report about a fictitious hotel website, which was ostensibly looking for new staff but then demanded a "fee".
New interactive statistics
In 2020, the NCSC received 10,833 reports on cyberincidents. Each report is examined and categorised. All of these reports make it possible to identify trends in various phenomena and set priorities for risk-reducing measures. To date, the NCSC has produced the resulting statistical charts and published them online on a weekly basis.
To simplify comparisons between various data sets and allow individual evaluations, the NCSC now provides the statistics in the form of interactive charts. By clicking on the desired date, the number of reports for the relevant week is displayed directly. At the same time, the display shows which incident categories (fraud, phishing, etc.) were most frequently reported. It is now possible to select individual categories and map their trend over the course of the year.
With immediate effect, the charts will be automatically updated with the previous week's data at midnight on Mondays.
Interactive statistics:
When fraudsters move mountains
In its week 19 review, the NCSC already warned about a fictitious hotel in Ticino that was looking for staff. If someone was interested in the position, the fraudsters demanded an advance payment of between EUR 300 and EUR 1,000 for a Swiss permit or for taking out health and accident insurance.
Now, the fraudsters have set up another fictitious hotel website. However, they have taken a few liberties with Swiss geography. The hotel is apparently located in "Montana" (Crans-Montana) in the canton of Valais. The photos show the hotel next to a large lake, whereas one would have expected to see the Valais Alps, since that region doesn't actually have a large lake. More detailed research revealed that, in fact, the photos on the fake website were stolen from the websites of hotels on Lake Lucerne and in Boston.
- Beware of job offers that require an advance payment.
- If in doubt, ask the authorities directly.
The State Secretariat for Migration has published a corresponding warning:
https://www.sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/sem/aktuell/betrug.html
Last modification 14.09.2021
