French data on darknet

General André Petillot, a major general of the National Gendarmerie, stated that about 80 percent of the French population has their personal data for sale on the darknet, a part of the internet that requires special software to access and is often used for illicit activities. This revelation was made during the Mediterranean Strategic Meetings in Toulon on October 8th.

Data used for scams

The stolen data can be exploited to carry out various scams, particularly banking fraud. Scammers use this information to impersonate legitimate institutions and trick individuals into transferring money or revealing sensitive information.

Guillaume's experience

Guillaume, a 51-year-old man, became a victim of such a scam last year. He received an SMS from his bank's fraud prevention service about a transaction on the platform Airbnb, which raised his suspicion. He attempted to contact his bank but found no one available.

Scammer's manipulation

Feeling uncertain, Guillaume called the number provided in the SMS, which led him to an automated response from his bank's fraud department. This made him feel more at ease. Shortly after, a man called him back, presenting himself as a professional and knowledgeable advisor who claimed to be able to block the transaction.

Fall into the trap

The man convinced Guillaume that an urgent transfer of money to a bank vault was necessary. He sent an email asking Guillaume to increase his transfer limit, which Guillaume validated through his banking app. The scammer then requested a second transfer to a supposedly secure account, which Guillaume also approved.

Too late to recover

After completing the transfers, Guillaume blocked his bank card and online access, only to realize too late that he had been scammed. The bank could not reverse the transactions, and by the time he contacted them the next day, the money had already been transferred, leaving him with no recourse.