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Fake authority scams fall 75% in Switzerland

75 per cent drop in calls made on behalf of purported authorities
75 per cent drop in calls made on behalf of purported authorities Keystone-SDA

Reports of fraudulent calls that scam people out of money by pretending to be from the Swiss authorities have fallen by more than 75%.

However, the cyber threat remains high, particularly in the age of AI, the Federal Office for Cyber Security has reported.

Fake calls emulating the police or other official entities have been among the most frequently reported incidents in recent years. From January to June, more than 400 reports were recorded each month.

However, the situation changed in July following the introduction of a measure requiring the identification of calls originating from abroad that spoof Swiss numbers. The number of reports fell to fewer than 100 in July (-75%).

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The Federal Office for Cyber Security says it will remain vigilant. In the first half of the year, it received 27,128 voluntary reports and 200 mandatory reports concerning critical infrastructure.

It warns against the growing use of artificial intelligence, which enables increasingly personalised attacks.

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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist. 

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