While Crit’Air sticker scams are on the increase, the State is aware of the problem and is implementing measures to combat this phenomenon.
It is discreet but will take an increasingly important place in the lives of French motorists. The Crit’Air sticker, necessary for traffic in low emission zones (ZFE) is becoming more and more democratized. A boon for scammers, who take advantage of it to sell fake Crit’Air vignettes.
A growing trend, taken very seriously by the authorities. Thus, at the end of January, a joint press release from the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion and the Delegate Ministry in charge of Transport invited “users to be very careful” :
“Crit’Air sticker scams have existed since 2017 but have particularly developed since the end of 2022. Two operating methods have been observed: the creation of a well-referenced fake website using the visual codes of the government. And the technique of “phishing” (phishing) by SMS or email which redirects users to fraudulent sites. »
“The planned implementation soon of new ZFE-m from the climate and resilience law could explain the resurgence of scams on the subject”also details Marianne Périquoi-Mace, in charge of media relations and influence for the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion.
The State takes the subject of Crit’Air sticker scams seriously
Stay only one way to buy a Crit’Air sticker is possible. You have to surrender yourself on the government website. The public authorities do not contact motorists, asking them to buy a sticker, as our interlocutor explains:
“The official Crit’Air vignette is at the fixed price of 3.72 euros and to obtain it it is necessary to connect to the one and only official Government website (https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/, Editor’s note). The ministry’s official Crit’Air website does not send SMS messages to users to buy vignettes; neither does the Government, the Ministry or the Prefecture. »
At the same time, in order to combat the risk of Crit’Air sticker scams, the Government has “activated several levers” :
“There is a dedicated state site for reporting phishing/phishing emails: https://signal-spam.fr/. You can find more information on the website Government Cyber Malice. »
“An Internet watch linked to the Crit’Air sticker has been put in place to limit the reach of malicious sites. As soon as they are identified, the State and its agencies shut down the malicious sites. Raising the awareness of communities that communicate on Crit’Air vignettes is also carried out by the State in order to disseminate information as close as possible to citizens. Finally, the Government is planning an information campaign in the second quarter of 2023, which will include the official Crit’Air site. »
We must nevertheless remain vigilant, because although these means of reporting fraud exist, it is however not not sure for victims to get their money back. « If it’s a credit card scam, it depends on the insurance contracted with the bankconfirms our interlocutor. If it is a purchase higher than the normal price, the answer is no, since during the process carried out online, the buyer has accepted the conditions of sale of the reseller site. »
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