Warning as France’s fraud hotline number is hit by… fraudsters

People who are contacted by someone claiming to be calling from the French consumer rights and fraud protection service RéponseConso are advised to treat the communication with suspicion, after scammers targeted the number.

RéponseConso, which is a service offered by the Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes (DGCCRF) government agency, announced this week that its number – 0809 540 550 – was being used by scammers to trick people into giving their bank details.

In a statement, the DGCCRF explains that the scammer will call a member of the public using the real RéponseConso number and claiming that someone is currently trying to use their bank account.

The victim is encouraged to trust the ‘DGCCRF’ agent and share their bank details with them so that the supposed theft can be blocked.

“We are urging the utmost caution. DGCCRF and RéponseConso will never call a consumer who has not previously requested to be called,” the statement says.

“We remind you that RéponseConso agents will not ask you to consult your bank account during the call, nor to communicate an SMS code or your card number.

“All of these actions aim to collect your personal details, most notably your bank details, in order to get money out of you.”

The DGCCRF also said that it will be initiating legal action to put a stop to this scam.

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