Charges brought in ‘voice phishing’ case

The woman (not pictured) is accused of calling people and tricking them into disclosing e-banking data Keystone

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has filed charges against a woman suspected of being a member of an international criminal group that committed commercial computer fraud in Switzerland between March 2016 and July 2018. 

The woman is accused of making telephone calls to trick people into disclosing e-banking data, a process known as voice phishing, the office said in a statementExternal link on Thursday. 

The data obtained were then used to make illegal money transfers, as a result of which around 50 victims in Switzerland lost a total of more than CHF2 million ($1.98 million). 

The office said that thanks to close cooperation with the Dutch authorities and with the support of the Federal Office of PoliceExternal link and EurojustExternal link, the European Union’s judicial cooperation unit, the woman was located in the Netherlands and identified. 

She was subsequently arrested in Rotterdam and extradited to Switzerland, where she will appear before the Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona. 

Switzerland has seen several cases of scams, which are not always voice phishing but often involve elderly people who hand over money to con artists claiming to be relatives or policemen.