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Hazard · Security

Shock Call

At the slightest suspicion, hang up immediately and call the supposedly affected person or your bank via a known, self-chosen number. Never hand over cash, jewelry, or cards to strangers. Genuine police never call from 117 and never send collectors. Report the call to police at 117 – the statistic nearest to shock calls has nearly tripled in 2024.

In a shock call scam, fraudsters pose as police, prosecutors, or bank employees and invent an emergency: a serious accident or death of a relative, a threat of arrest with a bail demand, or fraudulent account activity. They work with the same psychological levers – shock, time pressure, and authority – and often have a crying voice in the background. An automated variant starts with a computer-generated announcement ("Press 1") and then connects receptive victims to an alleged police officer.

The goal is almost always the same: to obtain cash, jewelry, or bank cards handed over to a "courier" or "collector" who appears at the victim's home. Often, a two-person team operates – a "mastermind" keeps the victim on the phone while an accomplice retrieves the valuables under the guise of "verification." What's new is the use of artificial intelligence: Swiss authorities – the Swiss Crime Prevention Association (SKP) and the Zurich Cantonal Police (cybercrimepolice.ch) – confirm that the crying voice of an allegedly affected relative is generated by AI in a deceptively realistic manner in isolated cases.

The official recommendation is identical across all cantons and straightforward: do not be pressured, hang up at the slightest suspicion, and call back the supposedly affected person or a trusted contact via a known, self-chosen number. Never hand over cash or valuables to strangers – not even to people wearing authentic-looking uniforms. Remember: genuine police never call from the 117 number, never demand money or valuables, and never send civilians to collect them. Report suspicious calls to police via 117, the Federal Cybersecurity Office (BACS), and cantonal police. Elderly people are particularly vulnerable, which is why alerting relatives is essential.

Rising case numbers

Phone fraud with shock calls is increasing in Switzerland. The statistic closest to shock calls documented – calls impersonating false authorities – has nearly tripled in 2024. The other figures come from broader fraud and crime categories; they are intentionally marked as such here to avoid false precision.

Calls impersonating false authorities in Switzerland – the closest documented figure to shock calls (Source: BACS/NCSC, 2024).

  • 18'270 Fraud reports to BACS/NCSC, second half 2024 (roughly two-thirds of all reports) Broad fraud category, not just shock calls BACS/NCSC semiannual report 2024/2
  • 41'188 Fraud attempts in Switzerland total (2024, over 100 per day) Broad fraud category, not just shock calls SRF, 2025
  • +17.3 % Fraud offenses 2023 → 2024 in crime statistics Broad PCS category, not just shock calls FSO – Police Crime Statistics 2024
  • 2.4 → 6.7 million CHF Phone fraud losses in Zurich Canton, 2021 → 2022 Regional, all phone fraud types Zurich Cantonal Police

Suspicion: hang up immediately and call back via known number. Report: Police 117, federal reporting center (report.ncsc.admin.ch / BACS), cybercrimepolice.ch (Zurich Cantonal Police), and Swiss Crime Prevention Association (SKP). Data status: 2024 or up to 2022 (cantonal).

Risk rating

Risk · High (level 4 of 5)

Likelihood: High · Impact: Medium → Overall risk: High.

Risk matrix: likelihood runs vertically (top = high), impact runs horizontally (right = high). The highlighted cell shows this hazard's rating.
Impact
Low Medium High
High This hazard's rating
Medium
Low

Legend: Low (green) · Medium (yellow) · High (red). Overall risk is likelihood multiplied by impact.

Fake police officers, prosecutors, or bank employees invent an emergency over the phone and demand – increasingly with AI voice clones – cash, jewelry, or bank cards. Best protection: hang up immediately and call back via a known number.

Immediate measures

  • Hang up immediately – do not let yourself be pressured
  • Call back via a known, self-chosen number (relative or bank)
  • Never hand over cash, jewelry, or bank cards to strangers
  • Do not provide codes, passwords, or remote device access
  • If suspicious, call police at 117

Warning signs

  • Extreme time pressure and demand to act immediately
  • An alleged police officer, prosecutor, or bank employee on the phone
  • Crying or pleading voice of a "relative" in the background
  • Demand for cash, jewelry, bank cards, or codes
  • Announcement that a "courier" or "colleague" will come to collect something
  • Request to keep it secret – do not tell anyone

Before · During · After

Before

  • Have an open conversation with elderly relatives about this scam and raise awareness
  • Agree on a family code word to verify authenticity (also works against AI voice clones)
  • Practice calling back via a known number as an established reflex
  • Write down important numbers (bank, relatives) on paper and keep them handy

During

  • Hang up as soon as money, valuables, or strong time pressure come into play
  • Do not disclose personal information, codes, or account details
  • Verify the story directly via the known number of the person
  • If a "courier" is announced: do not open the door, call police at 117

After

  • Report the call and displayed number to police (117 / cybercrimepolice.ch)
  • After valuables have been handed over, contact your bank and police immediately
  • Share the incident in your circle to warn others
  • Report suspicious calls to BACS via report.ncsc.admin.ch

This really happened

  1. 2019 First known AI voice clone fraud

    Fraudsters cloned the voice of the CEO of a German energy company using AI. The CEO of the British subsidiary believed the call was genuine and transferred approximately 220,000 euros (about $243,000 USD) to an account in Hungary – the first publicly documented case of voice clone fraud.

    Source

  2. 2024 Deepfake video call at Arup (Hong Kong)

    A finance employee of engineering company Arup joined a video conference where, aside from himself, all participants – including the alleged CFO – were AI-generated deepfakes. He transferred approximately $25 million USD (HK$200 million) in multiple payments. The case shows that fakes now go far beyond voice alone.

    Source

  3. 2024 Ferrari: fraud thwarted by a verification question

    Fraudsters imitated Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna using an AI voice. A suspicious manager asked a verification question – the title of a book Vigna had recommended to him days earlier. The fraudster could not answer and hung up. The case demonstrates the principle of an agreed-upon code word.

    Source

  4. 2025 Deepfake video of NVIDIA CEO for crypto scam

    During the NVIDIA GTC conference in October 2025, fraudsters distributed an AI deepfake video of CEO Jensen Huang broadcast live in parallel on YouTube, promoting a crypto scam via QR code. Important context: here the company was not defrauded of a payment, but about 100,000 viewers were deceived – an example of public figure impersonation via deepfake, not a CEO payment case.

    Source

Frequently asked questions

What is a shock call?

A phone fraud where scammers pose as police, prosecutors, or bank employees and invent an emergency – for example, a relative's serious accident, a threat of arrest with bail, or fraudulent account activity. Using shock, time pressure, and authority, victims are forced to hand over cash, jewelry, or bank cards to a "courier."

Do fraudsters use artificial intelligence for shock calls?

Yes. The Swiss Crime Prevention Association and Zurich Cantonal Police confirm that the crying voice of an allegedly affected relative is generated by AI in a deceptively realistic manner in isolated cases. Internationally, several voice clone and deepfake fraud cases are documented – from the first known case in 2019 (approximately 220,000 euros) to the deepfake video call at Arup in 2024 (approximately $25 million USD).

How can I protect myself and elderly relatives from shock calls?

Have an open conversation with elderly relatives about this scam and agree on a family code word to verify authenticity – this also works against AI voice clones (Ferrari principle). Practice calling back via a known number as an established reflex. Never hand over money to strangers and never grant remote device access.

Where do I report a shock call in Switzerland?

In an emergency, call police at 117. Suspicious calls can also be reported to the federal reporting center via report.ncsc.admin.ch (Federal Cybersecurity Office, BACS), to Zurich Cantonal Police via cybercrimepolice.ch, and to the Swiss Crime Prevention Association (SKP). If money has already been transferred, contact your bank and police immediately.

Official sources