A national campaign to raise awareness of payment fraud in France

To mark the kick-off of Cybermoi/s (“Cyber me/month”) on 1 October 2024, a European event dedicated to raising awareness of cybersecurity, the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry, the Banque de France, the French Banking Federation (FBF – Fédération Bancaire Française) and the Observatory for the Security of Means of Payment (OSMP – Observatoire de la Sécurité des Moyens de Paiement) are calling on the French to step up their vigilance in the face of attempted payment fraud. To help convey their message, they are launching a vast national information campaign in the press and on the internet, backed up by support from influencers.

Increasing attempts at fraud through user manipulation
Payment fraud continues to represent less than €1.2bn in France, although 2023 confirmed a general increase in the use of non-cash means of payment (+5.2% in number of transactions). This stabilisation of fraud rates at a historically low level should be noted, although with a note of caution regarding fraud techniques involving user manipulation (including fraud involving impersonation of bank advisors), which are increasing and now represent €379m in 2023.

Faced with the technical reinforcement of security, fraudsters are coming up with increasingly sophisticated ploys to manipulate their victims, extorting their bank information from them by taking advantage of news stories or enthusiasm surrounding major events. The majority of cases of fraud involve the theft of telephone numbers. Others rely on the latest innovations in artificial intelligence. Deepfakes are used to mimic the voice of the victim’s banker or public officials.

These new threats have led market players, in consultation with the public authorities, to develop mechanisms to combat these various fraudulent processes: firstly, in terms of telecommunications infrastructures, with the implementation by operators of a mechanism to protect professionals’ user details for sending text messages and the activation from 1 October of the termination of calls whose numbers are not authenticated; secondly, in terms of payment infrastructures, with the implementation of the IBAN confirmation service, which will help combat transfer fraud. These systems aim to make fraud attempts more easily detectable by users, but they cannot replace their own vigilance.

A public perception of increasingly diverse threats
As Cybermoi/s 2024 – the French adaptation of Europe’s Cybersecurity Month – kicks off, the FBF reveals the results of the third edition of its survey of French cybersecurity perceptions and behaviours¹.

On a positive note this year, nine out of 10 French respondents consider their banking data to be sensitive and they are increasingly taking precautions against scams: 86% ignore unknown calls and 75% use complex passwords.

But the survey shows that the French are seeing a sharp rise in fraud linked to their personal and banking data: 79% believe that phishing is on the rise and 77% believe that bank card fraud and fake bank advisor fraud are also on the rise.

More and more French people have been directly affected by attempts to scam banking data: 57% have previously experienced a scam attempt (+5 points compared to 2023) and 13% have already been scammed (+5 points). Defensive behaviour is becoming more widespread in the face of these attempts, but is still insufficient. A suspicious message received by email, internet or text message is viewed or forwarded by 44% of French people, and 19% say they respond positively when they receive a call from their bank advisor inviting them to carry out transactions remotely.

Regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on bank fraud, while 64% of French people see it as offering potential to improve banking security, 83% fear that fraudsters will exploit these technologies for more sophisticated scams.

Young people particularly affected by scam attempts
Younger people are less concerned about protection of their personal data than the average French respondent: 79% of those under 35 think their bank details are sensitive compared to 90% on average.

As a result, they appear less cautious with regard to cyber-protection practices, particularly when it comes to sharing banking data and management of passwords. For example, 53% store their banking data on online sales sites (compared to 31% on average) and only 69% use long, complex passwords that are different between each account (compared to 75% on average).

They are also less cautious about scam attempts, with 63% saying they view or forward suspicious messages (compared to 44% on average). As a result, more of them are victims of these scams: 72% of those under 35 say they have previously been the victim of a bank data scam attempt and 16% have actually been scammed.

A national call for vigilance
From 1 October 2024, and for the second time this year, four major players are coming together to educate French consumers through a vast awareness campaign in the print press and online. In addition to this action, all players are active on a daily basis and are constantly taking measures to warn and protect the French against fraud.

To raise awareness among young people, who are particularly concerned, the campaign draws on numerous information platforms (Konbini, Demotivateur, Loopsider, Hugo Décrypte, Micode, Legend and Gaspard G) and on influencers such as Camille Lorente, Romain Doduik, Baptiste Riclet and Arnaud Demanche.

The message is clear: “Codes, passwords and bank login details: NEVER GIVE OUT THIS INFORMATION”.

• Your bank advisor will never ask you for a code, password or login details, or to carry out or validate transactions – they don’t need to – so never share your security data with third parties.
• Never use a link or telephone number inserted in an unsolicited message or in an advertising banner – fraudsters use these methods to obtain your confidential information;
• Take a very close look at the origin of the messages you receive: government agencies and large companies never send messages (whether for advertising or institutional communication purposes) from an unknown mobile number (such as those beginning 06 or 07) or from an email address with a domain name that differs from its official website. In particular, a government agency will never send emails or text messages or make calls asking you to go to online forms to obtain a refund without logging in to your authenticated space;
• Quickly notify 33700 of any text messages that you believe to be fraudulent;
• Never entrust your payment instrument to a third party (relative, courier, etc.), even at the request of your banker.
• Contact your advisor or payment service provider as soon as possible in the event of suspected fraud, through a secure and known channel (banking applications, telephone numbers listed on those applications).

1 Survey conducted online for the FBF by Harris Interactive from 13 to 16 September 2024, involving 1031 interviewees representing French people aged 18 and over. Quota method and adjustment applied to the following variables: gender, age, socio-professional category and region of the interviewee.

About the French Banking Federation:   The French Banking Federation (FBF) is the professional organisation representing all banks established in France. It has 326 member banking companies, including 116 foreign banks. It is the voice of the profession on all major issues, particularly regulatory matters. Based in Paris, the FBF also has an office in Brussels. It is also present throughout France through a network of 101 regional and departmental committees.  

About the Banque de France:   As an independent institution, the Banque de France has three main missions: monetary strategy, financial stability and services to the economy. It contributes to defining eurozone monetary policy and implements it in France, supervises banks and insurance companies and oversees risk management, as well as offering a wide range of services to businesses and individuals.
Visit our website: www.banque-france.fr

About the Observatory for the Security of Means of Payment: Created in 2016, the Observatory for the Security of Means of Payment (OSMP – Observatoire de la Sécurité des Moyens de Paiement) is a body intended to promote the exchange of information and consultation between all parties (consumers, merchants and companies, public authorities and administrations, banks and managers of means of payment) involved in the proper functioning of means of payment and the fight against fraud. Its mission is to monitor the security measures adopted by payment market players and their customers, to establish aggregated fraud statistics and to ensure technological monitoring of means of payment. Find out more here.