There are four stories they particularly like to tell: These are the most popular scams phone scammers use.

A person poses as a doctor and explains that the victim’s son or daughter has been seriously injured in an accident and their life is in danger. The so-called doctor on the phone asks the victim to immediately pay a large sum of money for an emergency operation. Fabian Ilg says this scam has been seen especially frequently in the last year.

This is what the expert says: “In such a scenario, it seems like a matter of life and death for one’s own children,” says Ilg. Those affected are quite worried about this and are completely overwhelmed by the situation. “And therefore more susceptible to fraud.” He strongly recommends that you do not engage in the chat under any circumstances. “The longer you talk to scammers on the phone, the more treacherously they have you under their thumb.” Moreover, it is not possible for a real doctor to ask for several thousand francs over the phone to perform a life-saving operation.

A purported prosecutor or police officer calls to inform the victim that their son or daughter caused a serious accident—for example, because a small child ran over them. The daughter or son is currently in custody and only a high bail can prevent him from remaining in prison.

This is what the expert says: There are usually several people the victim hears on the phone, says Ilg. “The alleged girl is either sobbing directly into the phone or can be heard in the background and a prosecutor is speaking to you calmly but firmly.” This is not a matter of life and death, but the principle is the same as that of the so-called doctor who needs to perform an emergency surgery.

The callers pose as police officers warning of thieves in the area. Allegedly to protect cash or valuables stored at home against theft, police officers ask victims to temporarily hand over valuables to the police. Soon someone will come directly to your home to take your valuables.

This is what the expert saysIn fraud schemes claimed to be chief physicians or lawyers, victims are asked to withdraw an amount of money from the bank if they do not have cash at home. “If bank employees are careful, they will understand that there is fraud,” says Ilg.

When it comes to the alleged security of valuables by the police, there is no such control mechanism: “In the worst case, shocked people take their jewelry and hand it over to a complete stranger before anyone can stop them.”

A grandchild or great-grandchild is someone who is very close to the grandparents. Scams in which grandchildren call their grandparents to ask for money have been known for years. Scammers exploit the emotional bond between grandparents and grandchildren to make money. They cleverly extract a lot of information from victims, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

This is what the expert says: “The real grandchild trick does not involve a call from an authority figure,” says Ilg. Fraud is based on a sense of responsibility based on family relationships. Shock calls have now largely replaced grandchild trick calls. But cases still occur. AI-generated voices can mimic grandchildren’s voices in a deceptively realistic manner under certain conditions. “Those affected are much less likely to realize it is a phone scam,” says Ilg.