Watch out for this new fake ticket scam

Fine Vannes police have issued a false individualized fine notice that residents have received in their mailbox

National Police

• Several false notices of fines have been left in the mailboxes of residents of Vannes (Morbihan) in recent days.
• The police have sounded the alert and opened an investigation to try to understand how the crooks were able to locate the address and registration number of their victims.
• The presence of a QR code inviting the targets to pay online makes it possible to detect that it is a scam .

At first glance, the level of resemblance is stunning. For the past few days, false notices of contravention have been reported. addressed to; motorists from Vannes (Morbihan). After receiving several complaints from people who were victims of this scam, the local police decided to to disseminate the false opinion on its social networks in order to alert the population as quickly as possible. Because the technique is formidable ! Deposited in letterboxes, the false report contains a QR code inviting the motorist to pay your fine online. The most surprising: the registration number mentioned. on the notice corresponded to the vehicle of the person concerned, whose address is mentioned in the header. “We have been alerted a few days ago. Several people came to the police station to file a complaint. They said they paid a fine online but expressed doubts. People were surprised, because the registration number corresponded to their vehicle.” The make of the car was also mentioned, but not the model, unlike the official.

The scammers scouting the neighborhood?

When he became aware of the famous document, this officer from the Vannes police station recognized that he resembled “very strongly” to the official letters of the Antai (National Agency for the automated processing of offences). A wise eye will point out some spelling mistakes, inconsistencies in the amount of fines and especially the presence of the QR code. “The French administration never uses a QR code for the payment of fines. The only valid site is www.amendes.gouv.fr”. In the case of this fake report, the address mentioned is different: gouvantai-suivi.com. An address used by hackers to retrieve their target's bank details.

For the time being, the identified victims are “only counted in a few units”, according to the Vannes police. Probably because the scam asks the scammers to locate the places of residence and the vehicle of their target, in order to inform the corresponding license plate. “We have opened an investigation to understand how the crooks were able to proceed,” said the Vannes police. Other fake PV scams have already gone viral. been raised in the past, in particular by placing butterflies on car windshields or by sending fraudulent text messages and emails. But it would seem that this “individualised” mentioning the address and the registration number is a first.

How to spot the scam?

• There is never QR code on an official fine notice.
• The only website where you must pay your fine is www.amendes.gouv.fr.
• You can check the ;authenticity; of the document on the Antai’s website.
• Don’t rush. If in doubt, contact the police or gendarmerie before paying.