Real stories. Real pressure. A moment to pause.

Real life stories

These stories are from public reporting and show pressure patterns scammers use before people act.

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Stories and pause points

Where a safer pause could have helped.

Each case names the pressure pattern, the pause point, and a calmer next step. Source publications do not endorse Pausier.

Multiple bank customers

Country: Switzerland
What happened: Location/context: Canton Schwyz. Fraudsters posing as bank staff called about security problems, told victims to install software, then accessed e-banking and bypassed two-factor checks. Amount lost, if available: About CHF500,000.
Pressure pattern: Fake bank; remote-access software; keep-you-on-the-phone; 2FA pressure.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake bank; remote-access software; keep-you-on-the-phone; 2FA pressure.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, refuse remote-access software and call the bank on the official number.

Source: blue News

Victim of fake travel-agency remote job

Country: Switzerland
What happened: Location/context: Switzerland / NCSC case report. A fake remote job/task offer required the victim to deposit their own money to unlock supposed earnings. Amount lost, if available: Almost CHF80,000.
Pressure pattern: Fake job/task scam; upfront deposits; withdrawal blocked.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake job/task scam; upfront deposits; withdrawal blocked.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, stop when a job requires deposits and verify the employer independently.

Source: Swiss National Cyber Security Centre

Prior online-investment-scam victim

Country: Switzerland
What happened: Location/context: Switzerland / NCSC case report. After an earlier loss, scammers claimed the money had reappeared and demanded a large fee to recover it. Amount lost, if available: CHF10,000 original loss; CHF22,000 recovery fee demanded.
Pressure pattern: Refund/recovery trap; fake authority/law-firm style pressure; hope exploitation.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Refund/recovery trap; fake authority/law-firm style pressure; hope exploitation.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, pause before any recovery fee and report/check through NCSC or police.

Source: Swiss National Cyber Security Centre

Swiss bank customers

Country: Switzerland
What happened: Location/context: Switzerland / UK-linked conviction. Criminals used fake e-banking login pages to steal Swiss banking credentials and defraud customers. Amount lost, if available: About CHF2.4 million.
Pressure pattern: Fake bank login page; credential capture; payment/2FA pressure.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake bank login page; credential capture; payment/2FA pressure.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, check the bank URL and stop before entering credentials from a link.

Source: Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland / fedpol

Seven senior victims

Country: Switzerland
What happened: Location/context: Valais / Wallis. Fake police calls targeted seniors; police later arrested suspects after several cases. Amount lost, if available: About CHF40,000.
Pressure pattern: Fake police; fear-based pressure; courier/cash handover.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake police; fear-based pressure; courier/cash handover.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, hang up and call the cantonal police through the official emergency/non-emergency number.

Source: Polizei.news

85-year-old man

Country: Switzerland
What happened: Location/context: Martigny, Valais. Fake police persuaded the victim to expose banking/payment access; money was later withdrawn from ATMs. Amount lost, if available: Several thousand francs.
Pressure pattern: Fake police; bank-security pretext; ATM withdrawal pressure.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake police; bank-security pretext; ATM withdrawal pressure.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, avoid giving cards/PINs and verify with real police before acting.

Source: Polizei.news

72-year-old woman

Country: Switzerland
What happened: Location/context: Murten, Fribourg. Fake police claimed bank fraud and told her to withdraw money and deposit it at a specified location for criminals to collect unseen. Amount lost, if available: CHF41,000.
Pressure pattern: Fake police; bank-fraud fear; cash-drop/courier pickup.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake police; bank-fraud fear; cash-drop/courier pickup.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, stop before cash drops and call the real police/bank.

Source: Polizei.news

Victims in two fake-police courier cases

Country: Switzerland
What happened: Location/context: Canton Neuchâtel. Police arrested six couriers linked to fake-police scams in which victims handed over large sums. Amount lost, if available: CHF188,000 across two cases.
Pressure pattern: Fake police; courier pickup; urgency and authority pressure.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake police; courier pickup; urgency and authority pressure.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, refuse courier handovers and verify through official police contacts.

Source: Polizei.news

Older residents targeted by fake police calls

Country: Switzerland
What happened: Location/context: Fribourg. Police reported more than 20 fake-police reports and nine victims who handed over money/jewellery. Amount lost, if available: Over CHF70,000 plus jewellery.
Pressure pattern: Fake police; fear and authority pressure; handover of valuables.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: Fake police; fear and authority pressure; handover of valuables.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, ask a trusted person and call the police directly before handing over valuables.

Source: Polizei.news

Family whose bank accounts were drained

Country: Switzerland
What happened: Location/context: Switzerland. A family lost money through a QR-code fraud that drained accounts, including accounts linked to daughters. Amount lost, if available: CHF22,000.
Pressure pattern: QR-code/payment trap; fake payment flow; rushed transaction.
Pause point: When the person faced this pressure: QR-code/payment trap; fake payment flow; rushed transaction.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier could have helped them pause/check/ask a trusted person before acting under pressure; specifically, check the payment destination and contact the bank before approving unfamiliar QR payments.

Source: blue News

WhatsApp code request leads to fraudulent Twint payments over CHF 1,800

Country: Switzerland
What happened: Switzerland’s Federal Office for Cyber Security described a case reported to BACS in which WhatsApp account-takeover messages led to fraudulent Twint payments. The attacker used a trusted contact’s account, asked for verification codes, then sent Twint codes that actually authorised voucher purchases. In one reported case, more than 1,800 Swiss francs was debited. After the victim stopped paying, the earlier WhatsApp code could let attackers target the victim’s contacts too.
Pressure pattern: Trusted-contact impersonation, small-help request, code sharing, payment-code confusion, and repeat asks.
Pause point: When the contact asked for an SMS or Twint code, before forwarding or entering any code.
How Pausier may have helped: Pausier may have helped by prompting a pause before sharing or entering codes, then encouraging a voice check with the contact and a review of the Twint confirmation.
Source quote: über 1800 Franken abbuchen

Source: Bundesamt für Cybersicherheit BACS

Irish woman lost EUR 48,000 after romance and business-pressure requests

Country: Ireland
What happened: A woman in Ireland was drawn into an online relationship, received gifts, and was later asked to invest in the other person's business over a thirteen-month period.
Pressure pattern: Romance trust / business investment
Pause point: When the online relationship moved into investment requests and repeated money transfers.
How Pausier may have helped: A pause before sending money could have helped her recognise emotional-trust pressure, speak to someone trusted, and verify before making transfers.

Source: An Garda Siochana

Pressure patterns

Common pressure patterns in these stories.

The details vary, but the pressure often asks someone to act before they can think, verify, or involve someone they trust.