Cash for permits: Cross-border workers in Switzerland targeted by new scam

With salaries in Switzerland sometimes up to three times higher than wages in France, the number of people with cross-border residence permits reached a new high in 2024. However, many prospective "Frontaliers" have warned of scams which see applicants pay thousands of euros for fake permits and useless CV updates.

Prospective Frontaliers falling victim to scams

According to the latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the number of people living in France but working in Switzerland has risen from 95.000 in 2004 to a record high of 230.000 in the fourth quarter of 2024. National broadcaster RTS noted that salaries remain the main draw, with some lines of work offering wages three times higher in Switzerland than in France.

However, an increasing number of prospective cross-border workers report falling victim to scams, which prey on hopes of a life working in the alpine nation. Speaking to RTS, a plumber and engineer from Avignon reported that after failing to find a job in Switzerland, he turned to an online influencer who told him that his CV was not up to “Swiss standards”.

“In fact, there are no specific Swiss standards and the CV they provided me was a simple copy and paste of what they provide to other clients," he noted. However, before realising his mistake, he had already paid the influencer 2.000 euros for the unnecessary resume refresh.

Influencer offers Swiss residence permits for 2.200 euros

Elsewhere, Naher, a cross-border worker who posts videos alerting prospective Frontaliers about scams, noted that other influencers offer cross-border workers residence permits in exchange for money. Following promises of high salaries and better living conditions, "some people make people believe that if you can't find a job, it's because you don't have a G permit. And they sell it for 2.200 euros," he told the broadcaster.

In response, the State Secretariate for Migration (SEM) said it was aware of the scams targeting cross-border commuters, adding that "selling a residence permit or a border permit is obviously completely illegal." They said they were fighting the scams by spreading real information about cross-border work, and by referring select cases to the police.

“It is the fact of having found a job in Switzerland that allows, on the basis of the employment contract or a certificate from the employer, to obtain a border permit, and not the other way around as the scammers suggest," the SEM explained.

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