During the holiday season, the scam attempts are on the rise. Taking advantage of the festive relaxation, criminals do not hesitate to impersonate a region or department in an attempt to steal personal data. The scam was notably detected in Hauts-de-France or even in Val-de-Marne.
“The Hauts-de-France region allows you to save more than 70% on your energy consumption.” This is the SMS that the residents of this northern region have been receiving for a few days. The charger thus presents an offer that promises to reduce your energy bill.
Earlier this week, the region warned that it was not the origin of these SMS, that it was an identity theft and a phishing attempt. The purpose of phishing is to extract money from victims by collecting a certain amount of personal data.
Avoid these scams
The Val-de-Marne department is also affected by the fraudulent use of its name, entity and logo. Scammers are not limited to the electricity bill, scam also refers to fake ads, cold calls or even fake social media posts. The community called on Twitter on December 22 for vigilance.
The best way to avoid falling victim to these scams is to be vigilant. Please read the message carefully and identify the formulations, spelling or grammar. Messages from official agencies never start with 06 or 07, but usually display the name of the agency.
Never click on the link of an SMS that seems suspicious, that does not concern you directly or comes from a number you do not know and never give your bank details.
It is also possible to report scams by forwarding the abusive SMS to the number 33700. This will allow operators to act quickly.
Source: BFM TV
