Watch out for the irresistible SNCF promotions currently circulating! The offer is too good to be true, these are phishing campaigns aimed at defrauding you.
With the summer period fast approaching – although the weather is obviously not in favor – many of you are looking for good deals to travel at a lower cost. If the train is the preferred means of transport in relation to the environment and the ecological crisis that we are going through, its prices are unfortunately increasingly high – to the point that it is sometimes cheaper to go by plane, a shame! Also, any promotion has the air of a Holy Grail. The SNCF Advantage card is particularly interesting. Sold at 49 euros, it allows you to benefit from reductions on train tickets and certain on-board services, while guaranteeing capped prices on certain destinations. Perhaps in recent weeks you have received an email or SMS informing you of a promotion, with which the Avantage card goes from 49 euros to just 2.45 euros. A terribly tempting offer! So, good deal or scam?
Unfortunately, we’re sorry to dash your hopes, but it’s too good to be true. This is nothing more, nothing less than yet another scam aimed at stealing your personal and banking data. Even if the email may be credible, several clues generally indicate that it is a scam. The first thing to check is the email used to send you this fake promotion. Please note: all emails associated with the Avantage card, but also with train tickets, end with @info.sncf.com. If not, it’s a scam. Also check for spelling mistakes and the URL of the link you are being asked to click on. If in doubt, the best thing is to go directly to the legitimate site to check if the promotion is indeed taking place – especially since, when this is the case, the SNCF makes it clear.
If you are planning to book a train for your summer vacation, make sure that each promotion is actually set up by SNCF, especially if they ask you to provide your bank details. And remember, 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, to Signal Spam or to Pharos. You can also report these fraudulent messages to the website-signalement.gouv.fr. Then block the sender to stop being bothered.