“They took 20,000 euros from me”, here is the new scam to be wary of (it can be expensive)

There is no age for be a victim of a scamespecially with the new scams that continue to emerge and compete with ever greater ingenuity to succeed in trapping their targets. If cold calling is especially painful (a brilliant solution protects you from 12.5 million calls), certain missteps can be very expensive.

From poorly written and clumsy emails and SMS messages, we have moved on to cleverly orchestrated operating procedures which can go very far: even coming to knock on your door! Among these new ways of stealing tidy sums which are constantly appearing, we discover in 20 Minutes that of a phishing linked to traffic violations. A certain Chloé (not her real name) testifies: she thought she would pay her fine, but she ended up losing 20,000 euros.

Phishing: this new message scam

It was in February 2023 that Chloé, who tells her story in 20 Minutesreceives a message. She has to pay a fine, and this does not surprise her for a very simple reason: “I had actually committed a traffic offense”. Logically, she therefore clicks on the link included in the message and arrives at a fine payment platform.

So far, this may seem pretty standard for a phishing scam (“fraudulent technique intended to lure Internet users into providing personal data”, according to the government website Cybermalveillance). But it went further the next day, which was none other than his birthday. She actually receives a call from her bank: “I only saw fire there. I was contacted by my bank's concierge service numbertelling me that I had to validate a certain amount of information”. Unfortunately for her, it was actually the scammers who targeted her.

Scam: a testimony to prevent

The criminals asked Chloé to call back the same number and gave her confidential information such as her banking details. She is confident. A courier then comes to her house to collect her bank card because it must be destroyed: “I was quite surprised, but I said to myself, well, indeed, I have a concierge service that I pay for which allows people to be available 24 hours a day. So I let someone collect my bank card on the evening of my birthday!”.

But this story stays in her head: she doubts all night and first thing in the morning, she decides to call her bank card fraud department. It turned out that it was already too late: the damage from this scam amounts to 20,000 euros ! Chloé's advisor recommends that she file a complaint at the police station, which she does. However, things do not turn out as she would have hoped: “I went out of my way to get my money back. The bank decided that it was not their responsibility, that I did not have to pick up or validate the transactions. It's been almost a year now that I've been in a lawsuit with the bank”. She is now testifying to warn others that no one is safe: “There is no age to be fooled, and I was fooled cowardly and badly, so good advice never click on links in text messages or emails you receive. Never share your confidential information. And if it's your advisor who's calling you, they don't need it. The bank is already in their possession”.

Editor for Aufeminin since 2022, Charlotte is passionate about cinema, French and international, and a fortune reader. Curious about everything, she talks as much about personalities as…