After the fuel allowance and Crit’Air sticker scams, a new SMS scam is targeting motorists. The pirates pose as ANTAI by inciting them to pay an unpaid fine. Don’t fall into the trap!
Hackers know how to be imaginative when it comes to stealing the personal and banking data of their victims, with the aim of extracting money from them. To do this, they have resorted to phishing campaigns, via text messages claiming refused payments on Netflix which would require paying online – otherwise the subscription would be suspended –, but also for packages which require payment to be delivered. . And that’s not counting eSIM card, broken phone, CPF or even Vitale card scams, all with the same objective. At this time, cybercriminals have decided to impersonate the National Agency for the Automated Processing of Offenses (ANTAI), sending SMS messages reporting late payment of a fine, which forces the body to ring the alert in a press release. So be careful if you receive messages like “Info Antai: you have a late payment of 35 euros” or other variations!
ANTAI scam: the unpaid fine scam
As the government explains on the official site of the French administrationhackers pretend to be ANTAI via an SMS or an e-mail claiming that the recipient has a “late payment of a fine” followed by a link to a site like “amendes-gouv.org” Or “dossier-antai-gouv.info”. A request that may seem legitimate being to give the many opportunities to receive a report. The message contains all the codes of an effective scam: an argument of authority (the ANTAI), an alarmist object (unpaid fine), uncertainty (you have been fined without knowing it), urgency (you have to hurry to not pay more) and the fraudulent link, which refers to a site that perfectly reproduces the official site – the scam even goes so far as to include real redirect links to public service pages.
The victim is then invited to fill in a fairly brief form (surname, first name, date of birth, postal code) and then to pay a parking fine of €35, before any increase. Of course, the fraudulent site is happy to recover bank information… As ANTAI reminds us, “any SMS can only be transmitted in the presence of a law enforcement officer” and there is only one site to settle your fines: amendes.gouv.fr. The organization contacts the persons concerned only by post and possibly by e-mail – in this case, it must absolutely come from [email protected]. And if the person ever clicks on the link, they should always check the site’s URL and the associated certificate – the little padlock at the top left. Unfortunately, this scam should become more and more common and credible, because the Government is accelerating the transition to dematerialized PV, which should be generalized during the year 2023, in order to save money.
ANTAI scam: different equally effective variations
There are other variations of this scam that cause just as much damage. For example, an SMS which asks the victim to click on a link in order to claim the little help of 100 euros recently put in place by the Government. In reality, cybercriminals are impersonating the Directorate General of Public Finances (DGFIP), which therefore reminds that the only way to obtain this help is to go to the site. impots.gouv.frfill out the form, enter their tax number and registration number and certify on their honor that they are using their car to get to their place of work.
Finally, you have to be very careful about the Crit’Air sticker scam (or Air quality certificate, its full name), a round sticker indicating the emission rate of the vehicle and which must be displayed on its vehicle to be able to travel in certain regions and agglomerations. Indeed, fake sites copy the official Government site; collect a lot of personal data via a form to fill out and ask their victims to pay for the sticker (see our article).
Scam by SMS: what to do in case of scam?
Information stolen by cybercriminals is most often sold on the Dark Web, which exposes the victim to future fraud, such as phishing campaigns, targeted attacks and even identity theft. If you are ever the target of an online or SMS scam, immediately forward the message to 33 700, a platform specializing in reporting scams. You can also report these fraudulent messages to the site internet-signalement.gouv.fr. Then block the sender’s number to stop being bothered.
In the event that you have clicked on the link or transmitted certain personal information, immediately change your password, as well as that of the other accounts where you use it – remember in passing that it is not recommended to use the same for several accounts. And, if ever you have transmitted your banking information, call your bank without further delay to take the necessary measures, in particular by making an opposition.