Fake Asian hornet inspectors gain access to homes in Riehen BS
In Riehen BS, fraudsters are posing as tiger mosquito inspectors for the municipality to gain entry to private homes. The authorities are warning residents and recommend calling the emergency number 117 if suspicious.
Fraudsters disguise themselves as tiger mosquito inspectors in Riehen BS
In Riehen BS, according to Blick, individuals in counterfeit vests repeatedly appear at front doors claiming to be carrying out tiger mosquito inspections on behalf of the municipality – and thereby gain access to private households.
The scheme is aimed at identifying weak points in buildings that could later be exploited for break-ins. The background is growing concern over the spread of the Asian tiger mosquito in the Basel region, where the insect is particularly prevalent.
The insect can transmit diseases such as dengue fever and Zika virus, as stated on the website of the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG). In pregnant women, a Zika infection can cause serious neurological damage to the foetus.
The municipality of Riehen makes clear: official tiger mosquito inspections at the front door do not take place. On its website, the municipality urges vigilance: "If a suspicious person rings at your door and asks for entry, contact the police immediately via emergency number 117. The police ask for as precise a description of the person as possible."
Fraud schemes become more creative
The tiger mosquito scheme is the latest in a series of increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts. In June, Blick reported on a Serafe phishing email that promised recipients a refund of almost 1,000 Swiss francs. The condition: entering bank or credit card details in an allegedly secure portal. When asked by Blick, Serafe AG confirmed that it is aware of such attempts and advised those affected not to click on links and not to enter payment details.
Also in circulation is a counterfeit SBB website, which the Cybercrimepolice.ch portal warned about last Thursday. The page is an almost identical copy of the SBB website – only the URL differs marginally. When asked, the SBB stated that they were monitoring the situation intensively and reported new phishing pages to the Federal Office for Cybersecurity immediately. "We also recommend this procedure to potentially affected customers," according to the SBB.
Criminals also exploited this year's heatwave: Blick reader Thomas K. (60) from Thurgau ordered an advertised air conditioning unit in July that was supposed to cool several rooms simultaneously without installation. The device never arrived. "They wrote that they had lost my order number – and needed my details again," says K. He had fallen victim to fraudsters from Hong Kong.
Source: Blick