Online fraud is on the rise globally, and scams targeting Swiss online marketplaces like Ricardo, tutti.ch, and anibis.ch are becoming increasingly sophisticated. The fight against online fraud begins with prevention. That’s why the three online marketplaces operated by SMG Swiss Marketplace Group have expanded their joint campaign with Swiss Crime Prevention (SKP) to include a warning about a particularly devious new phishing tactic. This fraud awareness campaign aims to alert, educate, and protect online users from this prevalent phishing scam.
Online scammers are becoming increasingly active and are constantly developing new methods. According to the 2024 Police Crime Statistics, digital crime in Switzerland rose by 35% in just one year, with phishing attacks increasing by a striking 56%. At the moment, scammers are targeting sellers on online marketplaces like Ricardo, tutti.ch, and anibis.ch with a particularly cunning phishing scheme*. For the online marketplaces of SMG Swiss Marketplace Group, one fraud case is one too many. The platforms are continuously investing in various security measures and are also working closely with strong partners in the area of fraud prevention – including a longstanding collaboration with Swiss Crime Prevention (SKP). The SKP webpage, which provides information and warnings about different types of fraud on online marketplaces, has been updated to include this new phishing scam. Additionally, the national initiative Card Security (which promotes the prevention of debit and credit card fraud) and the independent platform “eBanking – but secure!” (EBAS) from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts are warning users about this malicious credit card phishing scam.
“User safety on our online marketplaces is our top priority. In addition to the daily efforts of our dedicated security team, we are pleased to rely on our valuable, long-term collaboration with SKP in raising awareness,” says Francesco Vass, Managing Director of Ricardo, tutti.ch, and anibis.ch at SMG Swiss Marketplace Group.
How credit card phishing works:
Recent phishing attacks on online marketplaces typically occur as follows: Supposedly interested buyers send sellers links or QR codes via WhatsApp or SMS, asking them to enter their credit card, bank, or Twint information under the pretense of making a payment. Sellers are then redirected to deceptively authentic but fake login pages for the marketplace, bank, or Twint. If they enter their access or card details, scammers can easily access their bank accounts, Twint profiles, or credit card data.
Important:
To receive payments, you never need to provide your credit card details, e-banking login credentials, or Twint codes.
Media Contact
Mojca Fuks
Senior Corporate Communications Manager