Fraud Help France: What to Do After a Scam

If someone is in immediate danger: contact your local emergency service. Do not use the contact details supplied by a suspected fraudster.

Jump to:

Woman reviewing a suspicious letter beside a laptop, with the Eiffel Tower behind her and “Fraud Help in France” headline.

Finding Fraud Help in France

A suspicious bank payment, fake online shop, fraudulent job offer or misuse of your identity can leave you wondering where to turn. This guide brings together fraud-help resources for France, including banking assistance, police reporting, online scam reporting and identity-protection steps.

If money or banking details are involved, contact your bank promptly using independently verified contact information. You can report criminal fraud to the police or gendarmerie. Depending on the incident, online services such as THESEE or Perceval may also be appropriate. These services have different purposes and eligibility requirements, which are explained below.

Check the Source of Suspicious Business Documents

Fraudsters can copy the name, logo and letterhead of a real organisation to make a false invoice, employment letter or investment offer appear convincing. A familiar business name does not establish who actually sent the document.

Our article on company letterhead security and scam prevention explains how business branding can be misused. You can also explore anti-fraud measures for business communication to understand how organisations can help recipients check authenticity.

If a document claims to have been issued through VerifiableLetter, visit our document verification portal directly. This service applies to documents issued through our platform.

Preserve Evidence and Choose the Right Reporting Route

Keep relevant messages, emails, receipts, transaction references and copies of suspicious documents. Write down what happened while the details are fresh. These records can help your bank and the authorities understand the incident.

The sections below explain where to seek help with criminal reports, compromised accounts, identity misuse and consumer disputes. If another country is involved, our country fraud-help directory provides additional starting points. Be cautious of anyone who unexpectedly offers to recover your money in exchange for another payment.

1. Stop Further Losses

1. If you need urgent police or gendarmerie assistance, call 17. You can also call the European emergency number 112. If you cannot speak aloud safely, send an emergency SMS to 114.

2. Stop sending money and end contact with the suspected fraudster. Do not share additional passwords, banking codes or identity documents.

3. Contact your bank or payment provider immediately. Ask it to secure affected accounts and explain whether a payment can be stopped, recalled or disputed.

4. If your card details have been misused, request card blocking, known as “opposition,” through your bank’s official channels.

5. Save messages, emails, receipts, website addresses and transaction references. Keep original records where possible.

6. Change compromised passwords from a trusted device and enable multi-factor authentication.

7. Report the incident through the appropriate police, gendarmerie or official online reporting route.

8. Do not pay someone who unexpectedly promises to recover your money for an advance fee.

2. Contact Your Bank or Payment Provider

Contact your bank immediately through its official app, website or verified telephone number.

Explain whether the payment occurred without your authorisation or whether you made it after being deceived. Provide the date, amount, beneficiary details and transaction reference.

Ask about securing your account, blocking affected cards and requesting a payment recall or dispute. Recovery and reimbursement depend on the circumstances.

For card blocking, use your bank’s dedicated service. The interbank opposition service is also available on 0 892 705 705, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is a premium-rate number. If abroad, use the bank’s published international contact number.

Perceval is intended for people who:
- Have experienced unauthorised online card purchases;
- Still possess the card;
- Did not make the purchases;
- Have already blocked the card through their bank.

Perceval requires FranceConnect. Keep its acknowledgement and provide it to your bank if requested.

Submit your payment dispute directly to the bank without delay. If unresolved, make a written complaint and consult the bank’s mediation procedure.

3. Report the Fraud to Police

You can file a criminal complaint, called a “plainte,” at a police station or gendarmerie brigade. Official online complaint services are available for some situations.

Prepare identification if available, a timeline of events, payment records, messages and copies of relevant documents. Keep the complaint receipt and reference number.

THESEE is available to adult individuals for certain online scams. Follow its eligibility questions. Businesses should report through a police station or gendarmerie brigade.

The official THESEE guidance directs victims of fake online investment schemes to report in person.

A simple report or tip, called a “signalement,” is not necessarily the same as a formal complaint. Check which action you have completed.

For an emergency, call 17 or 112 instead of using an online form.

4. Report Cybercrime and Online Fraud

THESEE
Use the official eligibility process for covered online scams, such as fraudulent shopping websites, certain classified-ad scams, romance scams, account hacking and online extortion.
https://www.masecurite.interieur.gouv.fr/fr/demarches-en-ligne/thesee-arnaques-internet-plainte-en-ligne

17Cyber
For help understanding and responding to a cyber incident, use the free public assistance service provided by the Police nationale, Gendarmerie nationale and Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr.
https://17cyber.gouv.fr/

Perceval
For eligible unauthorised online card purchases, consult the separate Perceval reporting process after blocking the card.
https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/R46526

Preserve original messages, transaction references, website addresses and screenshots. Also notify the affected platform or account provider.

If a device may be compromised, use another trusted device to contact your bank and secure accounts. Seeking technical assistance or reporting an account to a platform does not automatically file a criminal complaint.

5. Protect Your Identity

If someone has used your identity, file a police or gendarmerie complaint and notify the affected banks, lenders, merchants or service providers.

Dispute accounts, contracts or payment demands you did not authorise in writing. Keep supporting documents and correspondence. Do not ignore court documents or response deadlines.

Secure your email, banking and other affected accounts. Contact the issuing authority if an identity document has been lost, stolen or misused.

Check whether unfamiliar accounts have been opened in your name using the official FICOBA access process through the French tax administration.

Check whether identity misuse has resulted in entries in the Banque de France’s FCC or FICP files. If you identify an entry linked to fraud, contact the Banque de France and follow its identity-theft procedure.

Keep your complaint receipt, identity documents and evidence available for secure submission when requested.

Official identity-theft guidance:
https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F37944

6. Protect Your Credit

For identity-related banking and credit incidents in France, the relevant public records include:

FICP
The file covering certain personal-credit repayment incidents and over-indebtedness proceedings.

FCC
The central file covering certain cheque incidents and bank-card withdrawals.

These files are managed by the Banque de France. They are not a comprehensive list of every account or loan in your name.

Use the Banque de France’s official process to access your information:
https://www.banque-france.fr/fr/a-votre-service/particuliers/fichiers-incident-bancaire

If an entry results from identity fraud, contact the Banque de France and the institution that reported it. Follow the identity-theft procedure and provide the requested evidence.

For assistance or an appointment, contact the Banque de France on 34 14.

The Banque de France does not place a preventive identity-theft marker where no relevant incident entry exists. Continue monitoring and checking your records if your information has been exposed.

7. Consumer-Protection Resources

SignalConso — DGCCRF
Use SignalConso to report consumer problems involving a business, such as misleading sales practices or difficulties with an online purchase. The platform may transmit your report to the business and consumer-protection authorities.
https://signal.conso.gouv.fr/fr

SignalConso does not itself act as a mediator to resolve your individual dispute and does not replace a criminal complaint.

Banking disputes
First submit a written complaint to your bank. If unresolved and eligible, use the banking mediator identified by your bank.
https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F20523

Investment concerns — Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF)
Consult the AMF’s investor information and fraud-reporting resources for concerns about investment offers.
https://protectepargne.amf-france.org/verifier/signaler-une-fraude-lamf

AMF Épargne Info Service:
01 53 45 62 00

A regulatory report does not guarantee reimbursement. Report suspected criminal fraud to the police or gendarmerie as well.

8. Employment and Immigration Fraud

Verify a job offer directly with the employer using contact details you find independently. A genuine company name or a listing on a recognised employment platform does not guarantee that the person contacting you is legitimate.

Be cautious of requests to pay to secure a job, buy equipment through a specified seller, deposit a cheque and return part of the money, or receive and forward funds through your personal account.

Do not send identity documents or banking details before checking the employer and the purpose of the request.

If the suspicious offer appeared on France Travail, use its “Signaler cette offre” option and preserve the advertisement reference. Notify the organisation being impersonated.

For a job involving immigration, verify visa requirements and payment instructions with the responsible French consulate or official government visa service. Do not rely solely on a recruiter’s promises.

If money or identity information has already been shared, contact your bank, secure affected accounts and report suspected fraud to the police or gendarmerie.

France Travail guidance:
https://www.francetravail.fr/candidat/soyez-vigilants/fausses-offres-d-emploi.html

Official Contacts and Telephone Numbers

Police or gendarmerie emergency
17

European emergency number
112

Emergency SMS when unable to speak aloud safely
114

Card opposition
Contact your bank directly.
Interbank service: 0 892 705 705
Premium-rate number; available 24/7.

Police and gendarmerie — fraud complaint guidance
https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1520

THESEE — eligible online scam reports and complaints
https://www.masecurite.interieur.gouv.fr/fr/demarches-en-ligne/thesee-arnaques-internet-plainte-en-ligne

Perceval — eligible online card-fraud reports
https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/R46526

17Cyber — online cyber assistance
https://17cyber.gouv.fr/

Banque de France
34 14
https://www.banque-france.fr/

AMF Épargne Info Service
01 53 45 62 00
https://www.amf-france.org/nous-contacter

SignalConso
https://signal.conso.gouv.fr/fr

Report the Fraud

Police nationale or Gendarmerie nationale

National fraud-reporting website → Police reporting website → Cybercrime reporting website →

Official Sources

Received a suspicious business document?

Check whether a document issued through VerifiableLetter is authentic.

Verify a Suspicious Document Visit the Community Support Centre

Important: This guide provides general information and is not legal, financial or emergency advice. Reporting procedures, eligibility requirements and contact details may change. Confirm current instructions directly with the relevant organisation. Reporting fraud does not guarantee reimbursement or recovery. For urgent police or gendarmerie assistance, call 17 or 112.