Have you received an SMS or an email asking you to renew your driving license or face a fine? This new scam denounced by the UFC Que Choisir is indeed aimed at holders of a pink driving license.
Official identification documents, such as driver’s license, are often scammed. This Wednesday, June 14, a new driving license scam was revealed by UFC Que Choisir. It is currently raging in France and targets drivers license holders pink hardcover journals. The consumer association has in fact observed that scammers are taking advantage of the future driving license reform (in force from 19 January 2033) to send Fraudulent SMS and emails. This new reform aims to replace the old license models with a new version adapted to European standards.
Scam text messages and emails target pink driving licenses
You may have received a text message on your phone or an email telling you that if you do not renew your pink driving license as soon as possible, you risk a heavy fine. In reality, these are SMS and email scams, and more precisely a phishing attemptwhich consists in “to extract personal information or money from you, or even to usurp your identity by asking you for a copy of your driver’s license”, specifies UFC Que Choisir on its website.
What to do if you receive an email or an SMS for your driving license?
If you have received an email or an SMS telling you that you risk a fine if you do not renew your driving license in time, do not give in to panic and above all do not answer the SMS or email.
Secondly, try verify the phone number or email address from which the message originated. Typically, if you do a simple internet search for the fake number or email address, you’ll see that they’ve already been listed in the scam box. It is also easy to spot a fraudulent email: it is often long and a bit dubious.
Moreover, the association UFC Que Choisir reminds that for official documents, there is only one site to trust and to consult in case of doubt, that of the National Agency for Secure Documents (ANTS).