New SMS scams: recognize and avoid them!

Like many French people, it is likely that you have received one of these SMS messages from cybercriminals. The process is often the same, whether it is a package to be recovered or a password to be changed. Their goal is to get you to click on a link that will retrieve your personal data. Now scammers are also posing as administrative sites and impersonating some public services.

Late payment of a fine 

In a recent scam, the scammers masquerade as the National Automated Crime Processing Agency (Antai). Fraudulent text messages mention late payment of a fine and try to retrieve your personal information or bank details. The principle is simple, the SMS pretext that the recipient has a “late payment of a fine”, the message is followed by a link to a fraudulent site like “fines-gouv.org”, “dossier-antai-gouv.info”, etc. If you click on this link, you can submit your personal information.

The Antai recalls that all SMS messages can only be transmitted in the presence of a law enforcement officer and that there is only one site to pay its fines: fines.gouv.fr.

A text message for an immediate payment received without the presence of a verbalizing agent is a scam. The Antai recommends not to click on the link.

Fuel allowance

Another common scam is to send a text message inviting the user to claim the fuel allowance. The scammer sends a message suggesting that you click on a link to claim this €100 boost. In fact, the scammers are impersonating the Directorate General of Public Finance (DGFIP). It warns users that the only way to get this help is to go to the impots.gouv.fr website, fill out the form yourself by entering your tax number and your license plate number and certify by a “declaration of honor” that you must use your car to get to your workplace. For more information, see the news article " Fuel allowance 2023: €100 for low-income workers ”.

PPIB never sends SMS messages to promote fuel allowance.

Crit'air Vignette

The Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion also advocates vigilance, especially for Crit'air vignettes.

The Crit’air air air quality certificate is a sticker to stick to its windshield. It is mandatory if you are traveling in low mobility emission zones (LMAs) or during a pollution peak when differentiated traffic is implemented. Its price is 3.72 €. To get it, just log in to the single official website: https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/.

The ministry’s official website, Crit’Air, does not text users to buy vignettes, nor does the government, the Ministry of Ecological Transition, or the prefecture, the actual government platform says.

How to recognize a scam?

Scams are increasingly difficult to spot: no spelling mistakes, a site very close to the real, government visual codes... The only easy difference to identify is the address of the link (url), it is not in conformity with that of the real official site. So any ministry site that doesn’t end up with “gouv.fr” has to give you a heads-up. You can also check the “https” in the site address. Before making any payment for an administrative procedure, check the identity of the site and its legal notices.

Follow the recommendations in the National Commission for Information Technology and Freedom (CNIL).

What if you are a victim of an online scam?

You can forward the message to 33,700, the voice and SMS spam reporting platform.

Report scams to site internet-signaling.gouv.fr, the Office central de lutte contre la criminalité liée aux technologies de l'information et de la communication platform.

To find out about scams or to report a scam website or email, a bank details theft or a phishing attempt: you can contact Info Scams at 0 805 805 817 (free call from the UK) from Monday to Friday from 9am to 6.30pm.

Go to cyber malware.gouv.fr, the National Platform for Assistance to Victims of Cybermalicious Acts. It provides information about digital threats and how to protect against them.

You can also alert the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) which penalizes infringements or infringements of consumer law. You can also report abuse on SignalConso by selecting the section “Administrative procedures”.