License plate scam: a plague that persists and wreaks havoc

Many types of scams are rampant in France. The license plate scam is one of them. Here's how to protect yourself.

L’ license plate scam is gaining ground in France. If you don't know what it is, read the article so you don't get fooled. Claiming a hit-and-run, a scammer calls you to ask for money . We reveal to you how do these scammers work .

The license plate scam

How does the license plate scam manifest itself? That can happen at any time and to anyone . Often the scammers call you late afternoon on an unknown number , masked or not.

The person on the other end of the line tells you that you caused an accident . Most of the time, it is a slight hitch that went unnoticed . As compensation, the scammer asks you for money . If you refuse, he threatens to file a hit-and-run complaint .

However, Do not get fooled , because none of this is true . It's a scam. And to get your phone number, the scammer just called the prefecture giving him your license plate.

On this subject, Romain Miot, the communication manager of the Marne prefecture, clarified things to France 3 Champagne-Ardenne :

“In the registration file, our services do not have telephone numbers. »

Before adding:

“It should be emphasized that only a judicial requisition allows the communication of the telephone number of one of our fellow citizens. »

A user testifies on Reddit France

note that this scam is very common in the UK before claiming its first victims in France. Moreover, as reported by France 3, “our law enforcement agencies do not report this specific phenomenon” .

'We obviously recommend everyone to file a complaint as quickly as possible by providing as much factual evidence as possible,' advised the Marne prefecture reported by France 3.

Moreover, a user testified on Reddit of the attempted arnaque of which his companion was the victim. The man says that the latter received a voice message from an unknown number in his email.

'Maybe you didn't realize it, but I hit the roadside. So at that time, I took your plate, I got your phone number from the prefecture. And in fact I would just like to know why you did not stop at that time and if at least you had surrendered from the accident, ”would have warned the man on the phone in a calm tone.

If you couple to conclude that it was a scam attempt , it is because there was a priori no problem. What's more, there was “no location, date or time information, the time of the call outside the opening hours of the prefecture” .

'The gendarmerie in our area, whom we called to try to get more information, asked us to call them back tomorrow because at this time they are only dealing with emergencies,' he wrote.

In short, if you received this kind of voice message or even a call, report it immediately to the police . Do not hesitate to talk about it with your loved ones. In this way, they can in turn be more vigilant .

A few tips to avoid scams

The scammers never lack inventiveness when it comes to scamming their neighbors. Besides, apart from the license plate scam, there are other scams you should beware of r.

That said, there are so many of them that it would be impossible to list them all . On the other hand, there are constants and therefore good reflexes to adopt. As it happens when faced with what appears to be a scam attempt .

Here are the basics:

• Never communicate your personal information, a fortiori sensitive, by telephone, even less to a stranger.
• Do not communicate under any circumstances your usernames and passwords
• Do not open shady emails and suspicious text messages from unknown number
• Never click on a link that you received by e-mail or SMS
• If you have any doubts about a scam, contact your bank immediately

Note that you can find the official procedures on the government site of the public service. Remember that when it comes to telephone scams, you can make a pre-complaint online . As for digital scams (false advertisement on Le Bon Coin, ransom or blackmail by message, etc.), you can report them on the Thésée website .

Source : France 3