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The end-of-year holidays often leave French people's bank accounts in a critical state. It must be said that the month of December is rich in various expenses, for gifts and meals. The French are therefore starting the year by being careful.
But as January barely begins, one threat persists: scammers looking to exploit your financial vulnerability. Among their favorite methods, package scams continue to wreak havoc. The latter play on the credulity and sense of urgency of the victims.
Parcel scams: you need to be wary
Scammers, as we recall on Nuit Franceshow great inventiveness in reaching your bank account. To do this, they know that they must carry out scams that are real. Their final target is therefore transporters.
The way the scam works is confusingly simple. Indeed, the scammers pretend to be popular carriers, like Colissimo, Chronopost or Mondial Relayby sending text messages or emails purporting to report a delivery problem.
To have
If your cell phone starts doing this, check your bank account quickly
The scenario is often the same: a message invites you to pay a small amount to reschedule a delivery. If you follow the link in the body of the text, you end up on a fraudulent site. By filling out your confidential information, you are giving the key to your savings to scammers. In fact, they can use them to empty your bank account.
Protect your bank account: how to do it?
To protect your bank account, it is essential to spot the warning signs and adopt vigilance practices. First of all, remember to check the sender of the message in question. A text message from a number starting with 06 or 07 is suspicious. Carriers generally use business numbers.
Also, don't act in a hurry. Serious carriers never require payment to reschedule a delivery. If a problem arises, they will contact you through official channels without asking you to complete an online transaction.
Before clicking on a link, check the URL. Fraudulent sites often imitate official domainsbut contain errors, such as extra letters or suspicious terms.
Finally, if you are not expecting the slightest package, then the scam is obvious. You know that scammers use phishing to reach your bank account. So don’t make it easy for them. And, above all, Don't be fooled by the alarmist tone.
To have
60 Million Consumers warns of this virulent scam targeting your bank account
Why do these scams work so well?
Scammers invest time and effort to make their scams credible. They reproduce the interfaces and language of official carriers with uncanny precision. Their strategy is also based on favorable periods, such as the end-of-year holidays or sales, during which online purchases explode.
Scams become more obvious if you receive a message when you are not expecting a package. However, the majority of French people place orders online. This therefore increases the chances for fraudsters to come across a potential victim.
Parcel scams, and more broadly phishing attempts, exploit human flaws. Flaws that allow scammers, often, to reach the victims' bank account. By adopting digital security reflexes and taking the time to check each suspicious message, you can considerably reduce the risk of seeing your savings disappear.
