Credit / Investment offers

You come across an offer for credit or a bank investment, but it was fraudulent.

Description of the fraud

After researching on the Internet for loans or investment options, you receive an advertisement offering credit or investment options from an establishment situated in another country. The documents attached to the offer show the official logos of the banks or the government. In addition, the credit offer of the investment conditions are very advantageous for you (a very low interest rate and a guarantee of high returns). You decide to go for it: you pay the application fee to receive the credit, or you put down a certain amount to begin your investment. After this payment, though, you receive no more news from the offer’s representatives.

How to avoid the trap?

  • Don’t let an official logo or emblem fool you.
  • Be cautious of credit offers that seem too advantageous: low interest rate, long reimbursement period, zero conditions on your revenue, no guarantees required.
  • Likewise, be suspicious of investment offers that are too advantageous: high returns, low interest rate, etc.
  • Check the Register of Certified Financial Agents and the Register for Insurance, Bank, and Finance Intermediaries (les registre des agents financiers agréés et registre unique des intermédiaires en assurance, banque et finance) to ensure that this representative is authorised to offer these services.
  • Don’t let yourself be deceived by the various methods used: needing to pay the application fee as soon as possible (for a credit offer) or having to invest your money straightaway to make profit (for an investment).

What to do once trapped?

  • File a complaint as quickly as possible
  • If the trader seems French or you are living in France, the info platform Escroqueries at 0811 02 02 17 (price of a local call in France) will also be able to help you
  • It’s also advised to report the fraud to the DGCCRF (la Direction générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des fraudes), the ACPR (Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority), on the Internet portal at internet-signalement-gouv.fr and on the platform signal-spam.fr

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.