Banking fraud through manipulation: €516 million in France, +34% in one year
Manipulation-based fraud now accounts for 40% of banking fraud in France, reaching €516 million in 2025, according to the Banque de France.
Fake advisers and phishing: fraud through manipulation reaches €516 million
Sums related to manipulation-based fraud surged 34% in one year to reach €516 million, according to a report published Monday by the Payment Security Observatory (OSMP) of the Banque de France, which 20minutes.fr reported. These scams — which notably involve impersonating a bank adviser to persuade the victim to authorise a fraudulent transaction — now account for more than 40% of all payment fraud, compared with 32.1% in 2024.
The total amount of payment fraud rose 3.8% to reach €1.24 billion, despite an 8% fall in the number of fraudulent transactions.
No population spared
"There is no population that is exempt from this type of fraud," Julien Lasalle, secretary of the OSMP, said at a press conference. "Everyone — young people, elderly people, upper socio-professional categories… everyone can be confronted with it."
Data breaches amplify the phenomenon
The numerous data breaches recorded in recent months have strengthened fraudsters' means of action, according to the Observatory. Denis Beau, president of the OSMP, emphasises that these breaches "promote the spread of manipulation-based fraud techniques". "Fraudsters use this additional data to strengthen the credibility of phishing messages. Typically, a fake message from Social Security will be more credible if your Social Security number is inserted in it," he warns.
Banks call for mobilisation of the digital sector
In light of this situation, the French Banking Federation (FBF) indicated in a statement that "French banks are renewing their call to digital and telecommunications players to mobilise operationally to prevent, detect and prevent the massive spread of fraud". The FBF is calling in particular for faster removal of fraudulent content, better control of advertisers and strengthened filtering of spoofed messages and calls.
Debit card at its lowest fraud level
On another front, the debit card maintains its dominant position in payments. The OSMP notes that its fraud rate fell to 0.047% last year, its lowest level on record. Mobile payment continues its growth and now accounts for nearly one in five proximity card payments.
Instant transfers are also gaining ground, accounting for nearly one in six transfers, an increase of 78% over one year. Conversely, cheques are declining: they now represent only 1.9% of written payments, and the value of transactions carried out by this means fell 46% since 2020.
Source: Google News LU FR