Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Swiss cyber-crime incidents increase by a quarter

Person in hoodie on a computer
Incidents of online fraud are becoming more commonplace in Switzerland. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Switzerland saw a significant increase in the number of reported cyber-crime incidents last year. In the same period, the rate of murders and burglaries fell, while e-bikes became one of the favourite targets of thieves.

The Federal Statistical Office on Monday reportedExternal link that cyber-crime had increased by 24% last year compared to 2020. The most common digital crime was the fraudulent sale of non-existent goods online that tricked people into paying for products that were never delivered.

There was also an uptick in the number of reported offences involving fraudulent payment systems and the abuse of personal digital identification data to commit crimes.

Some 30,351 crimes were reported in the virtual space in 2021.

In the physical world, police recorded 42 homicides, which is one of the lowest murder rates since records began in 1982. Most murders took place within the family home where women were by far the most common victim.

There were also fewer reported incidents of serious acts of violence, except in the category of rape that saw the highest number of cases (757, an increase of 6%) in a decade.

Last year saw a decrease in the number of burglaries but witnessed a marked increase in the number of vehicles being stolen.

Thieves particularly targeted e-bikes, which have seen sales take off during the Covid-19 pandemic period. Last year, the number of e-bike thefts rose by nearly 50% from 2020.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR