Overview
- Police report that scammers are posting convincingly branded “new” bank cards with letters instructing recipients to scan a QR code to “activate” them.
- Scanning the code redirects to a fake banking site that harvests login details and other data, giving fraudsters access to accounts.
- Authorities highlight that the counterfeit cards mimic chips, magnetic stripes and logos, yet may arrive without a cardholder name or number.
- The French Banking Federation reiterates that real activation is done via an ATM withdrawal, a purchase or an official app, not by scanning a code.
- A national social‑media alert is underway, with guidance to avoid the QR code, contact one’s bank and report mailings on masecurite.interieur.gouv.fr, while the number of victims is still unknown.