Deception (social engineering): Private individual, Switzerland 2023
Two women from the canton of Solothurn, aged 55 and 56, each built up a relationship over a long period with an unknown man via Instagram and Facebook.
- Incident · 07.2023 · Canton of Solothurn, Switzerland
- Evidence: confirmed by an authority
- Deception (social engineering)
- Fraud
As of
What happened
With text messages and a web of lies, the fraudsters gained their trust, and the women transferred more than 100'000 francs in total. By July 2023, the cantonal police knew of more than a dozen completed cases with a total of around 1 million francs.
- Affected
- Private individual (anonymous)
- Industry
- Private individual
- Loss
- CHF 100'000
- Figure given by the source
- more than 100'000 francs in total
- Business interruption
- unknown
- Ransom demanded / paid
- unknown / unknown
- Data affected
- unknown
- Bankruptcy
- no
- Entry point
- Contact via Instagram and Facebook (romance scam)
What would cyber insurance have paid?
That depends on the terms. Whether those affected were insured: unknown.
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Hotline and advice before anything happens
Mostly no information 14 of 29 private 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
Requests for money from online acquaintances you have never met in person are a clear warning sign.
Sources
- Kanton Solothurn: Zwei Frauen wurden Opfer von Liebesbetrug (opens in a new window) Kantonspolizei Solothurn · 24.07.2023
«Die beiden Frauen, im Alter von 55 und 56 Jahre, überwiesen den Männern in der Folge gesamthaft über 100'000 Franken»