A fake banker scam has claimed another 400 victims near Lyon, here’s how not to be fooled

A vast fake banker scam has been dismantled near Lyon. No less than 400 people were allegedly fooled across France, with losses estimated at half a million euros.

The fake bank advisor scam or “spoofing” has struck again. And this time, it is not just a matter of one or two victims, like this couple who lost nearly 20,000 euros. There, an entire well-organized network was dismantled by French gendarmes from the Arbresle company near Lyon (Rhône), supported in their investigation lasting several months by their Swiss counterparts.

There are 12 people who are now suspected of having defrauded 400 victims in France, for an amount estimated at around 500,000 euros.

The fake banker scam, an already well-known classic

The fake banker scam, known as “spoofing”, is probably the oldest method of bank fraud. The principle is unfortunately a well-tested recipe for criminals: pretend to be an employee of the victim’s bank and claim that fraud has been detected on their account.

Under this pretext, scammers will try different means to recover valuable confidential codes (card number, codes, etc.) in order to be able to make withdrawals or online purchases. To do this, they use all the personal data of their victims, which they have previously purchased for a pittance on unsavory sites on the dark web or via social networks, such as Telegram.

In the case dismantled near Lyon, the crooks seem to have reached a worrying level of sophistication. With a well-crafted scenario, they managed to gain the victims’ trust over the phone before relieving them of their banking information. Some did not hesitate to send an accomplice to collect the credit card directly from the home of the people being scammed. Their loot and bank details in their pockets, the crooks then only had to help themselves directly from the source, via online purchases or cash withdrawals.

The approximately 80 law enforcement agents also seized vehicles, luxury items and other multimedia equipment, all for an amount estimated at nearly 500,000 euros stolen from 400 identified victims.

Good reflexes to avoid being trapped

An episode, unfortunately, far from being isolated and which clearly shows that even if they are aware of the risks and the vulnerability of their banking data, the French are not vigilant enough, as this study by the Federation has shown. French banking published in 2023. This is why it never hurts to remind you of some good practices to adopt to avoid falling into the trap of spoofing.

The first rule to keep in mind is to never communicate your secret codes, even to a person pretending to be a banking advisor. In fact, know that your bank or your operator will never ask you for your confidential codes. In the event of a request of this type, say stop and report it to the authorities, or file a pre-complaint online on the THESEE platform on the service-public.fr website. If in doubt, hang up and contact your agency directly to take stock of the situation and, if it is spoofing, of course, report it.

You should also be wary of insistent emails, SMS or calls asking to update your banking details. The notion of urgency and pressure are often the signature of scammers. In the same way, an offer that is too tempting or a promise of winning should alert you to a phishing or spoofing attempt. If you make purchases online, choose payment by secure direct debit. And to strengthen your online security, don’t hesitate to use a VPN to carry out your banking transactions on the Web.

Source : Le Figaro