Several media have been alerting since the end of August to this large-scale scam: on the sidelines of the start of the school year, false notices from La Poste enjoin individuals to go to a website and reveal their bank details…
La Poste itself sees this as a first. Since August, many individuals in France have received delivery notices from the mail delivery company inviting them to connect to a website to confirm a delivery. New: in addition to the address (starting with “laposte.fr”) a QR Code allows interested parties to connect directly to the site. Once facing the screen, the pages display all the colors of La Poste and after a few clicks, an online form must be completed, including the user’s bank details, to collect the precious parcel.
Obviously the process is distorted from start to finish: many victims obviously report not remembering having ordered any package, the mail as well as the website are copies skilfully repeating the codes of La Poste. The key: a scam to steal your bank details using a device similar to “phishing”, a phishing technique well known to hackers. The scam has already made noise on Twitter where several users have sounded the alarm.
To avoid being trapped, a hint: the Geek Diary noticed that the tracking number displayed on the delivery notice is the one that La Poste uses as an example on its site (6Q01929938641). Asked by The Parisian, La Poste announced for its part a “fix” to prevent criminals from multiplying addresses containing “laposte.fr”. She also initiated legal proceedings. The company assures that “this is the first time” that it has been confronted with this kind of scam mixing “physical and digital support”. Usually, phishing is indeed used mostly online.
As for the number of victims who actually let their bank details slip, it is difficult to assess at the moment. The department of Hérault would be particularly affected.