Fake French police officer scams return – tips to protect yourself

Authorities in France are warning of the renewed presence of fraudsters posing as fake police officers as part of their scams. 

This is a tactic used by scammers to increase their credibility and urgency when targeting victims.

Alerts have been issued across France, including by the national police in the Deux-Sévres department. 

How do the ‘false police officer’ scams work? 

While the scam can take many forms, the current version reported by authorities uses a two-pronged approach. 

First, scammers call their victim, claiming to be from the local police unit and warning of potential fraudulent activity on their bank account.

They may have obtained this information (victim's address, phone number, bank account number, etc) from previous cyberattacks, several of which have impacted France in recent months. 

Scammers may also ‘mask’ the number they are calling from, making it seem as if it is a genuine call from a local police station. 

They will – falsely – inform the victim of a risk of bank fraud and the threat of burglars targeting their home.

Offering to ‘help’ the victim, the false officers arrange to visit and make an inventory of their valuables. They may even propose to take them back to the station for safekeeping. 

In both instances they will of course simply make off with the items once handed over, or come back to burgle the home in the coming days, using the information provided to know where the goods are kept. 

In other departments such as Indre-et-Loire, scammers are skipping the first step of calling a victim.

They are simply knocking at doors posing as officers, saying they have caught a thief in the area. 

They ask to inspect the victim’s jewelry under the pretext of protecting the valuables or handing back anything that has been stolen, although, of course, they are doing this to assess whether targeting the property is worthwhile and to find out where any valuables are kept.

In most cases, scammers are targeting elderly and vulnerable individuals or couples.

How to reduce risk of scam

The end goal of these scams are the same – to gain entry to a home under the guise of an authoritative figure. 

Scammers often pose as individuals with a credible reason to enter a property, such as a police officer, Enedis energy worker, or at Christmas a firefighter or postal worker selling calendars. 

Once inside, they can either immediately become violent and demand goods are handed over, or scope out the property for a future burglary. 

Tips for protecting yourself include: 

• Checking who is at your door through a peephole, etc, before opening it

• Verifying the person’s authenticity with an official card/membership document from the group they are claiming to represent, even if they are wearing a seemingly legitimate uniform. Genuine workers will never be annoyed at you for asking for proof

• Call the organisation the person is claiming to be from to verify their presence, such as the local police station or company. Do not use a number offered by the person at the door (who may give a fake one connected to other scammers) but look for the number yourself and call them directly

• If you do let a person into your home, make sure you are never alone with them or that they are unattended (i.e, ensure there are multiple people in the home at all times) and do not share the location of any valuables

• Lock the door behind you after a person comes in, to prevent other hidden burglars nearby from entering

In addition, be wary when answering the phone to someone claiming to be from an official institution such as the local police office or your bank. 

Never hand over information on the phone, and if you are concerned about their authenticity, hang up and call them back using the local office number (for the police) or customer support helpline. They should be able to tell you if the call was legitimate.