Police and gendarmerie warn of the resurgence of Crit’Air sticker scams. The entry into force of Low Emission Zones would explain the phenomenon.
Beware of sellers of Crit’Air stickers and the fake fines that come with them. The number of tax sticker scams launched in 2017 has risen sharply since the end of 2022. It is the result of the establishment of ZFEs (low emission zones) in several cities in France. Indeed, Crit’Air sticker scams have existed since the launch of the system. They most often take the form of phone phishing. A fraudulent SMS in the form of an automatic verbalization indicates to its recipient that he must comply and invites him to click on a link. Of course, this is misleading and only aims to recover the victim’s bank details.
The process is known and documented, but it is above all in full development. Indeed, according to William Hippert, head of the strategic service of organized crime (Sirasco), attached to the central direction of the judicial police, the number of victims with false Crit’Air vignettes would be in full explosion. ” Over the two years 2020 and 2021, 43 facts were reported, compared to 56 for the year 2022, including 38 between July and December “, he explains. The statistics would be below reality according to the commissioner, but they clearly demonstrate the resurgence of the facts. “Sometimes, after a first call, the scammer calls the victim pretending to be his banker who has come to warn him that he has been defrauded and asks him for access to his accounts to supposedly cancel the transaction”, explains William Hippert.
Only one seller: the government
The reason for this sudden rise in Crit’Air sticker phishing is very much linked to the establishment of several ZFEs at the end of last year. Indeed, since December 2022, eleven agglomerations have set up low emission zones requiring the payment of a sticker to drive there. By 2025, following the incentives of the Climate Law, more than 40 cities, including all those with more than 150,000 inhabitants, plan to adopt this system. The development of EPZs is a new opportunity to shine for people with bad intentions.
To avoid any risk of scam, the judicial police specialist explains that only the official government site (www.certificat-air.gouv.fr) is authorized to sell vignettes and that they cost 3.72 euros.
France info
