Pensioner victim of 4,800 fines: identity theft costs €1.5 million
A computer hacker stole the identity of a pensioner in 2020 to create a fake garage. Since then, Christian has accumulated more than 4,800 traffic fines for offences he never committed.
Victim of identity theft: an avalanche of fines
Christian Derrey, 75, received more than 4,800 fines in two years, according to TF1 Info. In the previous week alone, he received one hundred. This pensioner from Étainhus, in Seine-Maritime, has been inundated with penalty notices since his documents were stolen in a computer hack in 2020.
A man used Christian's identity to create a fictitious garage registered under the name CJM Automobiles. The scheme involved registering vehicles under the name of this phantom company to prevent their owners from receiving fines. "The principle is to register the cars under the name of CJM Automobiles, that way they'll never get a penalty notice in their lives. Of course, it's me who pays them," Christian explains.
A colossal debt due to identity theft
The total bill amounts to approximately €1.5 million, a sum that Christian must now pay. Tax authorities seize half his salary each month to cover this debt arising from identity theft. "A nightmare," he sums it up.
Christian's case remains exceptionally rare, but it reveals a flaw in the system. No body centralises all penalty notices, and no single point of contact exists to support victims. Marie-Agnès Poussier-Winsback, Horizons MP for the 9th constituency of Seine-Maritime, sought to help him. "There is no single point of contact for supporting victims. Today, it was I who tried to find people who could assist him in his process, to try to alert people to this specific case and so that we can use it more broadly to help others too," she explains.
Prevention: a new tool launched by the State
To prevent this type of identity theft, the State launched FiligraneFacile, a tool that adds a watermark to digitised identity documents. This measure makes it more difficult for hackers to obtain authentic copies of documents.
In cases of proven identity theft or fraudulent use of personal data, it is strongly recommended to file a complaint.
Source: TF1 Info