Man convicted of faking nine bicycle thefts for insurance payout

A 71-year-old pensioner in Switzerland has been convicted of insurance fraud after falsely reporting nine bicycle thefts over a two-year period. The man, who lives in the Zurich highlands, claimed a total of twelve bicycle thefts to the cantonal police via the online platform Suisse ePolice between March 2017 and November 2025. He received payouts totaling around 18,000 Swiss francs from two different insurance companies for these alleged thefts.

However, a criminal investigation concluded that only the first three reported thefts, occurring in 2017, 2019, and 2023, were likely genuine. After receiving the third insurance payout in April 2023, the man appears to have escalated his fraudulent activities. Between July 2023 and November 2025, he reported nine additional bicycle thefts, receiving approximately 11,600 Swiss francs in compensation for eight of these claims. Investigators determined these subsequent claims to be fraudulent.

The investigation revealed that the man had not even purchased some of the bicycles he reported stolen. He used fabricated invoices to deceive insurance companies and the police, creating the false impression that he had paid for the stolen bicycles at the stated purchase price. According to a legally binding penalty order from the Public Prosecutor's Office See/Oberland, which NZZ has seen, he aimed to gain an unjustified financial advantage. In reality, he had either sold some of the reported bicycles or simply abandoned them.

The accused was sentenced to a fine of 90 daily rates of 30 Swiss francs, totaling 2,700 Swiss francs, for multiple counts of fraud, document forgery, and misleading justice. This sentence includes an additional penalty due to his prior convictions in October 2018 and January 2019, for which he had also received fines. The court costs for the new proceedings amount to an additional 800 Swiss francs.