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Cyber protection for families: fake shops, classified ads, bullying

limited Children usually only on a family policy

Fake shops, classified ads with Twint, a bullied child, encrypted family photos: here you can see how such cases unfold, what private cyber insurance typically pays and what it doesn’t.

As of

What is usually not insured

  • not covered

    Ransom

    Family photos on the NAS encrypted

    Ransom and extortion payments excluded in all private products reviewed; only data recovery or legal protection is paid.

What can happen

Fake shop: tickets paid for, never received

A man buys tickets for just under CHF 2'000 on an official-looking website; the page had appeared as a sponsored search result. The confirmation arrives, the tickets never do.

More on this case
Entry point
Fake website via a search advert
Likelihood
high : FSO: 9'105 cases of «goods not delivered» on classified ads platforms in 2025; fake shops are common.
Where does it say so?

Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik (PKS), Jahresbericht 2025 (BFS-Nr. 1116-2500), 23.03.2026

Open document: Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik (PKS), Jahresbericht 2025 (BFS-Nr. 1116-2500) (opens in a new window), retrieved 06.11.2026

What AI changes
AI creates fake shops in minutes.
What to watch out for
How to protect yourself
  • Buy tickets only via official channels.
  • Pay by credit card (chargeback possible).
  • Check the shop on warning lists beforehand.

Receipt

Fake shop: tickets paid for, never received

Tap a line for the reasoning

  • Purchase price paid CHF 100–2'000 limited

    Zurich, Allianz, Baloise reimburse non-delivery; AXA excludes services and travel for online shopping (G3.6), so check tickets. Documented: just under CHF 2'000 (Olympic tickets), 704 euros (motorway vignette).

Classified ads: Twint account emptied in minutes

A mother sells children’s toys on Tutti. The «buyer» sends a link to a fake portal; she enters her details. The perpetrators take over her Twint account and make around 70 debits, mostly of CHF 250, within half an hour.

More on this case
Entry point
Phishing link via a classified ads platform
Likelihood
high : Bern 2025 more than 70 cases totalling around CHF 100'000; Basel CHF 20'000 in half an hour.
What AI changes
AI chats seem like real buyers.
What to watch out for
How to protect yourself
  • When selling, never click on payment links; Twint money arrives without a link.
  • Set low Twint and card limits.
  • If in doubt, block the bank and Twint immediately.

Receipt

Classified ads: Twint account emptied in minutes

Tap a line for the reasoning

  • Amount debited CHF 2'000–20'000 limited

    Subsidiary to the bank; limits CHF 5'000–50'000. Anyone who enters codes themselves risks a reduction for gross negligence. Documented: around CHF 20'000 (Basel), Bern on average around CHF 1'400 per case (100'000 ÷ more than 70).

  • Legal protection against the bank and the perpetrators no reliable figure limited

    Internet legal protection CHF 10'000–20'000 per case, depending on the product only for certain disputes. Up to CHF 10'000–20'000 depending on the product.

Family photos on the NAS encrypted

The family’s network storage can be reached from the internet via port forwarding. Through a vulnerability, perpetrators encrypt all the family photos and demand a large sum.

More on this case
Entry point
Vulnerable NAS with an open port
Likelihood
medium : Described by the NCSC in 2024.
What AI changes
AI speeds up finding open vulnerabilities (router, VPN, remote maintenance) and writing extortion emails; the time between publication of a vulnerability and an attack is getting shorter, and the insurers’ patch deadline (14 or 30 days) becomes tight.
What to watch out for
How to protect yourself
  • Do not connect the NAS directly to the internet; remote access via the manufacturer’s VPN.
  • Photos additionally offline on an external hard disk.
  • Automatic updates.
Evidence

Receipt

Family photos on the NAS encrypted

Tap a line for the reasoning

  • Data recovery and virus removal CHF 500–5'000 limited

    Data recovery and virus removal up to CHF 3'000–5'000 per claim (Mobiliar reinstallation only CHF 550); no guarantee of success. Laboratory data recovery from CHF 300–3'500; insurance limits CHF 3'000–5'000 per claim.

  • Ransom no reliable figure not covered

    Ransom and extortion payments excluded in all private products reviewed; only data recovery or legal protection is paid. Do not pay.

Orders in your own name

In the middle of the night, 1'500 emails flood the mailbox. Hidden among them: the perpetrators have changed the address and telephone number in the webshop account and placed orders for CHF 1'800.

More on this case
Entry point
Stolen login data
Likelihood
medium : Described by the NCSC in 2022; FSO: more than 20'000 cases of misuse of someone else’s identity in 2025.
Where does it say so?

Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik (PKS), Jahresbericht 2025 (BFS-Nr. 1116-2500), 23.03.2026

Open document: Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik (PKS), Jahresbericht 2025 (BFS-Nr. 1116-2500) (opens in a new window), retrieved 06.11.2026

What AI changes
AI makes it easier to exploit stolen password lists.
What to watch out for
How to protect yourself
  • A separate password for each account (password manager).
  • Two-factor login for shops.
  • Check accounts immediately when flooded with emails.
Evidence

Receipt

Orders in your own name

Tap a line for the reasoning

  • Orders CHF 500–5'000 limited

    Usually legal protection and clean-up up to CHF 5'000–20'000; financial loss only via account/card misuse. Documented: CHF 1'800, cancelled in time.

  • Clean-up, legal protection no reliable figure limited

    Internet legal protection CHF 10'000–20'000 per case, depending on the product only for certain disputes. Limits CHF 5'000–20'000.

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.

Related questions

Who pays first? The order for cards, phishing and Twint

Three ways forward