The crooks have not stolen their imagination. CPF account, fake bankers or trapped SMS, they always manage to reinvent themselves to undermine the bank account of the French. This time, it is for tax inspectors that the fraudsters pretend to be.

Their process is well established and, if the elderly are their favorite targets, even the most adept with technology could be taken in. Indeed, this new scam is based on a simple phone call.

When a potential victim picks up, they hear someone on the phone claiming to be a tax inspector from a center near their home. The scammer then explains to his correspondent that he is in breach of a “tax offence”.

The objective here is to put pressure and, to do this, the interlocutor does not hesitate to use a virulent tone and even to brandish a threat of two years of imprisonment. At the time, it can be difficult to realize that it is a scam, as you can easily give in to the pressure. Fortunately, there is a trick to unmask them.

During the call, the scammer will ask his interlocutor for money as well as his bank details. This is where the trap lies. Indeed, as France Bleu points out, the tax services never ask for users’ credit card numbers, let alone by telephone.

So, when you hear this, it is advisable to hang up and not answer the call to avoid taking any risks. It is also possible to report the number on the 33 700 platform which fights against voice and SMS spam.