Attention, crooks are currently usurping the identity of the Banque de France to scam their victims by asking them to cancel fraudulent transactions. This is obviously a way to extract money from them…
Scammers will stop at nothing to trick their victims, including impersonating official institutions. While the CNIL warns of GDPR scams (see our article), it is the Banque de France’s turn to worry about a wave of fraud attempts. “The crooks claim to belong to the staff of the Banque de France (often the fraud department) and ask the people contacted to cancel supposedly fraudulent transactions, by connecting to their personal banking space. In reality, the people proceed to the validation operations for the benefit of crooks”explains the Banque de France in his press release published this Wednesday, June 7. It is quite simply vishing – the contraction of “voice” (voice) and “phishing” (phishing) – a technique which consists in contacting the victim by telephone pretending to be an organization or body. And it’s amazingly effective!
Banque de France scam: beware of identity theft
To succeed, the scammers use social engineering methods, which take advantage of the victim’s feelings, such as fear, anxiety and greed. They will do anything to stir up these emotions in order to cloud his judgment and gain his trust. They create the feeling that it is absolutely necessary to act quickly so as not to give him time to analyze the situation and use his critical spirit. Their story is all the more credible as the number displayed on the victim’s smartphone is indeed that of the Banque de France, and the scammers may even have personal information about them, including their bank details. .
Also, you should keep in mind that calls are not safe and should be handled with caution. Even a known number that is displayed is not a guarantee of security, because telephone spoofing makes it possible to falsify it. If you are ever the victim of an attempted scam, don’t let panic overwhelm you and take the time to verify the identity of the caller before doing anything. Here, call the Banque de France via its public and official telephone number, namely 34 14, to find out who you are dealing with.
Bank scam: what to do in case of scam?
The Banque de France recalls that it never asks for bank details, personal information, validation or cancellation of a banking operation, in particular by telephone. If you have already shared your personal and banking information by telephone or if you suspect that you have been the victim of a fraud attempt, you must immediately block your bank card and modify the passwords which allow access to your accounts. The bank’s objection telephone number is listed on its website and on its ATMs. You can also contact the interbank card opposition server by telephone on 0 892 705 705 (surcharged number), a service which is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
Immediately identify if fraudulent transactions have been made and, if so, which beneficiary accounts are. Keep evidence well, such as telephone numbers, messages or e-mails received, transfer orders, payment statements or any other information that could be used to report the scam to the authorities. You must then contact your bank within 13 months of the debit date so that they can tell you the steps to take to minimize the consequences of the scam as much as possible. Remember in passing that it is obliged to reimburse you the amount debited: it is up to it to prove that you have been negligent in keeping your bank details (see our article).
Finally, file a complaint online. You can be accompanied in your steps by the platform Info Scams from the Ministry of the Interior on 0 805 805 817 (free call and service), which is open from 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday, or by the association of France Victims 116 006 (free call and service), which is the Ministry of Justice’s victim support number, open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Remember to report the facts on the platform Percivalwhich belongs to the Ministry of the Interior.