“The amount is low not to arouse suspicion”

“Amount due: € 42.44”. It is by this type of alert, transmitted in a very realistic letter on behalf of EDF, that many French people are currently targeted by a new wave of scams. By mail or by e-mail, the crooks redoubled with ingenuity, going so far as to usurp the identity of the prefecture or promise LED bulbs at broken prices. Faced with this resurgence, here is how to identify these fraud attempts and the reflexes to adopt to protect your data and your money.

Unpaid invoice, change of rib: the scam by mail that worries

One of the latest scams, notably indicated by the Corsican Prefecture, is in the form of a very official paper mail. Signed by an alleged “Responsible for the EDF anti-fraud service“, he demands the payment of a small amount (for example € 42.44) following an alleged debit problem linked to a” change of banking domiciliation “.

The document, whose title indicates that it was transmitted by the goalkeeper of your building, then invites you to perform A transfer on a fraudulent iban To “regularize the situation”. It is actually a trap, because it plays on the fear of a delay penalty for an amount weak enough not to arouse suspicion. The Corsican Prefecture warns: This is a scam, do not make any payment.

Refund, LED bulbs: other scams by e-mail to know

Mail is not the only vector used by pirates. The “phishing” (or phishing) by e-mail remains the most common method. The crooks are constantly adapted, but their techniques often rest on two scenarios:

• The promise of a gain: You receive an email announcing a reimbursement of overpayment of several hundred euros or an exceptional offer, such as “26 LED bulbs for € 1.95”. The goal is to click on a link to “recover your gain” and steal your bank details.
• The threat of a cut: Conversely, the email can alert you a delay in payment and threaten you with penalties or an unpaid cut -off cut if you do not regularize your situation immediately via a fraudulent link.

Finally, remember that the historic EDF supplier is the target of hundreds of cyber attacks each month. Vigilance is therefore in order.

The 5 reflexes to adopt so as not to fall into the panel

Faced with increasingly sophisticated attempts, EDF and cybersecurity experts recommend adopting the following measures:

• Never click on links: It is the golden rule. If you receive an EDF email or SMS, never click on a button or a link. Open your browser and type the address of the official website yourself (edf.fr) to connect to your customer area. If information is important, it will be there.
• Check the address of the sender: The official addresses of EDF must end with @edf.fr, @edf.com, @contactclient-edf.fr, @info-edf.com or @infos-edf.fr. Any other ending is suspect.
• Be wary of promises or threats: An unexpected gain or an immediate threat of cut is almost always signs of scam.
• Identify language faults: Even if the crooks improve thanks to the AI, spelling mistakes or turns of unusual phrases must alert you.
• Check the site address: If you have clicked, look at the address bar of your browser. The official EDF website always starts with “https: //” (the “s” means secure).