“She harassed me”: residents of a village in Creuse victims of a drinking water scam

This is a new type of scam that is hitting residents of Creuse. Scammers are contacting retirees on the phone offering to buy water purifiers. Poorly informed, victims fall into the trap and transmit their bank details, as shown in the TF1 news video at the top of this article.

Water responsible for an “epidemic” in 2025?

On Christmas Eve, Marie-Claude received this automatic alert message on her landline: “Health emergency, the water is polluted.” Worried, this resident of Lussat was put in contact with a woman posing as a technical agent. She claims that the tap water is no longer drinkable throughout the neighborhood. “She told me that it was going to be the epidemic of the year 2025 so we needed a water purifier. It cost around 1,300 euros, I was entitled to state aid of around 600 euros”explains the retiree.

Citing an emergency situation, the scammer manages to obtain Marie-Claude's bank identity statement. “It was on my checkbook. It was missing three digits. And I ended up giving it to him.”she laments. To succeed in her stunt, the fake technical agent called her victim five times in just one hour: “She harassed me. I had seen this phone number regularly on my phone for months.”

The union in charge of water in the city has already received several reports concerning this scam. A press release was published on the Internet to warn residents: “Fraud alert! Fraudulent phone calls or voice messages claim that tap water is unfit for consumption. These messages do not come from our services. (…) The water we provide complies with all current standards If in doubt, contact our customer service through our official channels.”

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This month of December, many similar scams have been recorded throughout France, particularly in Gard, Nevers (Nièvre) and Lyon. “When you have the slightest doubt, call us. In addition, in the countryside, everyone has the telephone number of the mayor or a deputy who knows the president. You call him to find out for sure and you don't do stupid things”recommends Vincent Turpinat, president of the Confluence Eaux joint union in Gouzon (Creuse). Final advice: never give your bank details to anyone and be wary of supposedly urgent commercial offers.