wise advice from UFC-Que Choisir of Seine-et-Marne

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How to avoid scams? Monday November 18, 2024, in Pomponne, two advisors from the UFC Que Choisir association from the North-West of Seine-et-Marne, Hervé Guise and Yves Mollet, came to provide their advice at the request of the Amicale des Rétraités de la city. Around thirty people came to find out.

First observation made by the speakers: the resurgence of scams on the internet, fraudulent commercial solicitations and abusive canvassing. They therefore detailed the principle of modern scams and gave tips for protecting yourself, reminding us that scammers are becoming ever more inventive, and that it is imperative to remain vigilant and suspicious. “An offer that is too attractive wastes money” summarized Hervé Guise.

A reality

In this interactive exchange, the stories of bad experiences users often overlapped the advice given by the two speakers. Thus the testimony of Nicole D. who received an email offering her a renewal of your senior card at -30%. As the expiration date of her subscription was close, she wanted to take advantage of the opportunity, but the operation never came to fruition. The fraudulent site had usurped the SNCF Connect logo.

Hervé Guise took the opportunity to remind the public that they should never click on the link proposed in an ad: they should have connected to SNCF. Furthermore, it is advisable to always check the name of the sender, remember to look at where it comes from, paying attention to the part following the @ to verify the authenticity of the address. Thanks to the use of artificial intelligence, email texts are much better worded than in the past and much more misleading.

Likewise, the speakers warned of be wary of requests for help from loved oneswho ask for help or money by playing on the emotional string. This was the case of Béatrice F., who said she had received a distressed email from a relative she knew was on vacation abroad. She needed to call him back urgently, but the telephone number had a premium rate. The speaker warns that in this case, it is always better to start by calling a known number.

Some advice

During the meeting, the two speakers gave each other the floor to provide other simple and effective advice and spot warning signs. Notably :

– Learn to decipher canvassing techniques and, even if you have the impression of being rude, cut short commercial phone calls; then register with Bloctel and ask your operator not to transfer any of your data, according to the GDPR law (General Data Protection Regulation).

– Do not respond to a call from your bank requesting information about your accounts or informing of a danger that would require transfers of funds even if the interlocutor seems well informed.

– Never call back numbers that only ring once, especially if they start with four digits: 1XXX or 3XXX, six digits: 118XXX or ten digits: 081, 082 or 089XXXXXX. These are premium rate numbers.

– Never respond to an email or text message asking to call back a number, validate a batch, or click on a link claiming a problem with a mutual insurance file, a blocked package, a fine, etc.

Renew the experience

“These practices aim to obtain your personal information for fraudulent use or to make you spend money on non-existent products or services,” summarized Hervé Guise. He adds: “We must avoid entering into the conversation. The callers are people trained to sell, extort, defraud. Cutting the exchange short is the best solution.”

The public approves. It was obvious at the end of the meeting: education remains the best defense against this wave. Building on their success today, the speakers planned to repeat the experience

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