Ruth Alton (64 years old) shakes her head in disbelief. She stares at the pile of papers in front of her. Invoices, reminders and letters from the debt enforcement office and debt collection agency pile up in her apartment in Basel. “More mail is coming every day – even though I can’t help it,” Alton says hopelessly to Blake.
Altun fell victim to a shameless scam. This is evidenced by court documents and letters that have accumulated in her home since 2016. At that time the pensioner was in the process of separation from her ex-husband, looking for comfort and encouragement on the Internet.
Packages first, then the invoice
She meets Aline on a dating platform. He is open, encourages her, and allows her to hear what she wants to hear. They call each other several times via Skype. “I was completely naive, I completely surrendered myself to him.” The police will later tell her that Allen is behind an organized gang in Ghana.
Altun sends a photo of her ID card to “Allen” – and he wants proof that it actually exists. However, scammers use the identifier differently. They ordered expensive devices on her behalf and shipped them to Altun’s house. From there they are sent directly to Ghana. “I was so stupid, I didn’t think anything of it,” Alton later says. Alan tells her that he desperately needs the equipment and that he’s going to pay the bills. Naively believe him.
Then you receive a mail from Swisscom. It’s the appliance bills that have always been on their way to Ghana. When you want to call Alan and ask him to pay the bills, he doesn’t reach out. You realize something is wrong. She reports to the police. But by then, it was already too late.
“I’m afraid to open the mailbox”
Altun must appear in court for multiple fraud charges. She was still guilty in first instance, but the appeals court overturned the entire guilty verdict. Open claims are referred to civil channels. This means that Alton has been acquitted under the criminal law, but the court does not say the claims are unjustified. Swisscom is committed to the demands. You should still pay around 9,000 francs. At some point, Swisscom hands over the claims to debt collection agency EOS.
“Now I get mail about twice a week. I’m afraid to open the mailbox,” says Alton. She can’t and doesn’t want to pay the 9,000 francs outstanding claims. “I have no idea how Swisscom imagines it. I get complementary benefits, I live on the bare minimum. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t pay.” I walked away from an arbitration hearing with EOS in the Magistrate’s Court. It also refuses to accept recorded messages.
Swisscom is investigating the case
Swisscom says Ruth Alton’s case is “extremely complex”. The woman was the victim of an alleged scam. But since they themselves intervened in the process by forwarding parcels, there is an active post: “If they had contacted Swisscom immediately or returned the goods, the damage could have been prevented.”
In Ms Alton’s case, Swisscom is sticking to the claims. However, for now, no “further steps” have been taken and one will “verify in the coming weeks” whether one is committed to effectively raising funds. EOS says it “remains interested in having a conversation to find a solution”.
It is clear to Ruth Alton: “This is not a life for me. I can no longer live with such a burden and do not want it. I just want to be alone.”
This is how you protect yourself from fraud
Ruth Alton became a victim of cybercrime. So she is not the only one. According to statistics from the Federal Office for Information Technology, about 24,000 cases of Internet fraud were reported across Switzerland in 2021. Almost a third could be liquidated.
But what do you do if you yourself become a victim of fraud and receive invoices for products you did not order? Lucien Joker of Consumer Protection says: “In such a case, the victim of the scam should contact the biller immediately. The victim can also file a complaint with the police.” This is the only way to protect yourself from unwarranted claims.
If claims from debt collection agencies keep coming in, Joker advises calm. “Consumers only have to pay collection agencies for claims that have a contractual or legal basis,” he says. When contracts are entered into by a fraudster in the name of the consumer, no valid contract is formed between the consumer and the company. Accordingly, no money owed.
If the company goes further and debt enforcement rushes home, you should not refuse to accept. Because: “If the beneficiaries deem the process unjustified, they must file a legal motion within ten days,” says Joker.
Ruth Alton became a victim of cybercrime. So she is not the only one. According to statistics from the Federal Office for Information Technology, about 24,000 cases of Internet fraud were reported across Switzerland in 2021. Almost a third could be liquidated.
But what do you do if you yourself become a victim of fraud and receive invoices for products you did not order? Lucien Joker of Consumer Protection says: “In such a case, the victim of the scam should contact the biller immediately. The victim can also file a complaint with the police.” This is the only way to protect yourself from unwarranted claims.
If claims from debt collection agencies keep coming in, Joker advises calm. “Consumers only have to pay collection agencies for claims that have a contractual or legal basis,” he says. When contracts are entered into by a fraudster in the name of the consumer, no valid contract is formed between the consumer and the company. Accordingly, no money owed.
If the company goes further and debt enforcement rushes home, you should not refuse to accept. Because: “If the beneficiaries deem the process unjustified, they must file a legal motion within ten days,” says Joker.
“Professional music expert. Creator. Student. Twitter aficionado. Unapologetic coffee trailblazer.”
More Stories
SRF documentary with consequences: Kronenhalle deleted negative Google reviews
Bounce Cypher 2024 – Entertainment
Her 50th Birthday – From Spice Girl to Fashion Icon: Happy Birthday to Victoria Beckham – News