Fake payment instruction: Garage and car dealership, Switzerland 2022
A customer bought a used car from a garage and received the invoice for more than 18'000 francs by email.
- Incident · 06.2022 · Switzerland
- Evidence: confirmed by an authority
- Fake payment instruction
- Phishing
As of
What happened
Shortly afterwards came the instruction to transfer the amount to a different, foreign account for logistical reasons. Fraudsters had hacked the email account and manipulated the customer’s invoice.
- Affected
- Company (anonymous)
- Industry
- Garage and car dealership
- Loss
- Invoice for 18'000 francs redirected; the source does not say whether it was paid
- Business interruption
- unknown
- Ransom demanded / paid
- unknown / unknown
- Data affected
- unknown
- Bankruptcy
- no
- Entry point
- hacked email account of the garage (login data usually stolen by phishing)
What would cyber insurance have paid?
That depends on the terms. Whether those affected were insured: unknown.
-
CEO fraud, diverted payment, fake invoice
Mostly add-on 5 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Third-party claims after a data breach
Liability for data protection and network security breaches
Mostly covered 7 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
-
Immediate help in an emergency
Hotline, IT forensics, crisis PR and legal advice
Mostly covered 7 of 9 business products cover it fully, as an add-on or with limits.
Overview based on public policy terms, as of 06.11.2026. Only your policy and its general terms and conditions (GTC) are binding. No confirmation of cover.
What we can learn
Anyone who sends invoices by email should tell customers that the bank details never change by email.
Sources
- Wochenrückblick Woche 22: Gefälschte Telefonnummern und gefälschte Rechnungen (opens in a new window) Bundesamt für Cybersicherheit BACS (bis 2023: NCSC) · 08.06.2022
«Eine Meldung von letzter Woche zeigt allerdings, dass die Angreifer mittlerweile auch kleinere Firmen und deren Kunden im Visier haben.»