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QUALITY OF LIFE

Zurich ranked world’s best city for ‘prosperity and social inclusion’

Zurich is the most successful city in the world for social and economic inclusivity, according to a new study.

Published: 25 November 2019 10:51 CET
Zurich ranked world's best city for 'prosperity and social inclusion'
Photo: Depositphotos

The Prosperity & Inclusion City Seal and Awards (PICSA) Index defines inclusive prosperity “as a measure of economic productivity that reflects how far all sectors of the population are empowered to contribute to the economy and share in its benefits”

The survey is based on criteria such as per-capita GDP, quality of life, as well as the residents’ safety, education, housing, environmental quality, access to healthcare, and to internet.

“The cities that ranked on the top of the index have demonstrated world-leading projects and policies that have created inclusive urban centres for all their citizens”, said Bruni Lanvin, founder and CEO of D&L Partners, the consulting firm that conducted the survey on behalf of two Basque institutions.

Zurich scored strongly in all categories, followed by Vienna and Copenhagen in second and third places. Geneva ranks in the 10th place.

Switzerland’s largest city “scored impressively for work, housing, leisure, education, and safety”, Lanvin said.

He added that Zurich is “a modern, global city planning for the future”.

This is not the first time Zurich scores highly in international studies. Mercer Quality of Life survey has ranked it in the second place for several years in a row. 

Only two non-European cities were ranked in the top 10: Taipei, Taiwan and Ottawa, Canada took sixth and eighth place respectively.

Luxembourg (4), Helsinki (5), Oslo (7), and Kiel (9) are the other European towns that made it to the top 10. Paris is in the 32nd place, followed by London in the 33rd.

Rome, Turin, and Krakow have the lowest rating among cities in Europe. 

Globally, two Chinese metropolises, Tianjin and Chongqing, as well as Egypt’s Cairo scored the lowest.

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For members

CRIME

Geneva commuters warned over public transport ticket scam

A fraudulent Facebook page, allegedly an account belonging to Geneva’s public transport company (TPG) offers fake annual subscriptions for 2.35 francs.

Published: 26 July 2024 12:43 CEST
Geneva commuters warned over public transport ticket scam

The ‘real’ cost of a yearly subscription to the TPG Unireso network costs 500 francs for adults, and 400 francs for pensioners and juniors. 

So an offer that is hundreds of francs cheaper is obviously very appealing to those who have never heard of an old adage, “if it’s too good to be true, it’s probably isn’t.”

The fraudulent Facebook page, with a very realistic looking TPG logo, offers, as a special promotion, an annual travel card for the mere 2.35 francs. Fake profiles have written positive comments under the offer.

Fake TPG offer. Facebook public page

To benefit from the ‘last day’ of this incredible offer, customers must click on a link, which should raise red flags in even the most gullible individuals: it leads not to the official ‘tpg.ch’ address but to an external page, with a ‘com’ rather than ‘ch’ domain.

Once on this page, the still clueless customer learns that only 500 of the ‘special-offer’ cards remain available, so they must be purchased quickly.

But once they are on the payment page, they read that this is a three-month trial membership for 3 francs (not 2.35, but still suspiciouly cheap), and that if the membership is not cancelled by then (not sure how, since this is a fake), they will be charged 71 francs every 14 days.

The TPG does not have any figures on how many victoms fell prey to this scam, but the company’s spokesperson, François Mutter, said 134 customers “have contacted us to inquire about this offer.” 

Who is behind this scam?

It is not known, but the site’s server is based in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Mutter said, adding that the TPG  has informed the host as well as the Federal Office for Cybercrime.

But the scam is still running, and on a larger scale than just in Geneva.

According to Mutter, Belgian and French versions are also circulating.

Geneva police told 20 Minutes news platform that the primary goal of this scam (as countless others’) is to retrieve confidential banking information from their victims 

The closure of the site can be requested from the host, “but the effect is often temporary. New sites  will appear.”

In theory at least, the Public Prosecutor’s Office can open proceedings against the criminals and work with local authorities to trace the perpetrators — however, only if the sites are hosted in countries where international collaboration in these matters exists.

But, according to the police,  “this is Russia.”

One of many

Unfortunately, this particular scam one is only the tip of the iceberg.

Countless others have been perpetrated in Switzerland in past years, and still are on-going currently.

You can find more about them here:

READ ALSO: The common scams foreigners in Switzerland need to be aware of

How can you avoid falling victim to a scam in Switzerland?

The most obvious piece of advice is to use common sense.

It may not always be easy to spot scammers, however, because many emails look like they come from official sources like the government or police, but neither would contact you by email and threaten you with terrible consequences if you don’t pay up.

If not sure about the legitimacy of ‘official’-looking email or message, always call the supposed sender to check.

The important thing is that you immediately delete any suspicious emails and block the sender from contacting you again.

Also, be vigilant about divulging any of your personal information and financial data to unknown callers, or individuals showing up at your doorstep.
  

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