The Vevey Magistrates’ Court has just handed down a judgement in a case that highlights an issue which has been a cause of concern for the Vaud cantonal police for months: networks of ‘fake police officers’ are no longer bringing their recruits over from France. They are now recruiting them here.
The convicted man was 21 years old, had no previous criminal record, and was doing an apprenticeship as a shop assistant. His job involved turning up at elderly people’s homes whilst posing as a police officer, collecting bank cards, cash or jewellery, and handing it all over to his bosses. He was working for an organised network based in France. At the trial, he said he was ashamed of what he had done and apologised to the victims. The court did not entirely believe him: he was not merely a courier, but the local head of operations. Four years’ imprisonment.
One of the victims who gave evidence said she was left “as if hypnotised” and lost nearly 2,000 francs. She was right in everything she said afterwards: these young people target people who have worked all their lives, who still trust that whoever knocks on their door wearing a badge is really who they say they are.
What this case reveals is the underlying trend. By 2026, more than 150 people living in French-speaking Switzerland had already been identified as being involved in this type of operation – almost double the number in 2024. It is no longer just teams sent from Lyon or Grenoble. These are young people who live here, who know the area, who speak the language. And who find this ‘work’ on social media just as anyone might look for a temporary job. If you have parents, grandparents or elderly neighbours who live alone: remind them that the Swiss police will never ask them to hand over money, jewellery or bank cards to anyone who turns up at their door.