Update of November 4, 2026: Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr warns of a wave of fake texts impersonating ANTAI, the French traffic fine agency. One example reported by victims: “INFO ANTAI: Vous avez un retard paiement de 35,00€. Dossier référence 3001785” (in English, a late payment of €35.00 on a file number). No fine exists behind this message. The link leads to a fake site that asks for a card number.
A fraudulent SMS (smishing) shows up through five signs: a sender with a regular mobile number, a hijacked conversation thread, a shortened link or imitated domain, urgency backed by a penalty, and a request for banking data or a code. The 10 examples below illustrate each of them. They come from messages received in France, so the agencies and phone numbers named are French. The tricks themselves travel from one country to the next.
According to the 2025 activity report of Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, France’s national cybersecurity assistance service, phishing makes up nearly 33% of assistance requests from individuals, up 71% in a year. The service helped more than 500,000 victims in 2025 (+20%).
Fake SMS examples: 10 messages to know in 2026
10 scenarios come back again and again in the fake texts received in France. Six imitate an organization. Four imitate a person or an everyday service.
| Fake SMS | Typical text | What gives it away |
|---|---|---|
| Parcel | “Your parcel is on hold. Pay a few euros in delivery fees: [link]” | A carrier does not collect fees by text. The small amount is there to make you type in your card. |
| Bank | “Suspicious activity on your account. Call back 09 xx xx xx xx” | The number to call back belongs to the scammer. Use the number printed on the back of your card. |
| Fine or toll | “INFO ANTAI: Vous avez un retard paiement de 35,00€” (reported by Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, November 2026) | The only official payment site is amendes.gouv.fr. |
| Ameli or Carte Vitale (French health insurance) | “Your Carte Vitale is expiring. Order the new one: [link]” | According to ameli.fr (January 19, 2026), sending a new card is free, with no delivery fee. |
| Taxes | “A refund is due to you. Enter your card to receive it” | The French tax administration never asks for bank details by text (impots.gouv.fr). |
| CPF (French personal training account) | “Your training account is expiring. Fix it here: [link]” | The account can only be checked on moncompteformation.gouv.fr, typed by hand into the browser. |
Parcel: the small amount and the cloned voice
The fake parcel text remains the most widespread. Since spring 2026, Mondial Relay has documented a variant: a personalized SMS with a name and postal code taken from data leaks, a photo of a delivery truck, then a voice message of about 15 seconds. No carrier sends a voicemail to report a delivery incident.
Fake bank advisor
Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr puts the rise at 159% in 2025, or 15,000 assistance requests. The current trap is a fake card-blocking number that the victim calls on their own. According to the French Observatory for the Security of Payment Means (Banque de France, January 27, 2026), fraud by manipulation climbed 37% to €245 million in the first half of 2025. A bank never asks you to take action yourself to block a transaction. Another scenario goes through the SIM card: see SIM swapping.
Wrong number and the fake relative “Hi Mom”
The text “Hello, am I at the right number for Thursday’s appointment?” only wants a reply. Once the conversation is open, the scammer moves on to friendship or to an investment. The family variant (typical text: “Hi Mom, I broke my phone, here is my new number”) has followed the same script since late 2022, according to the Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr guidance: a supposed child has changed numbers and asks you to continue on WhatsApp. Call your relative on their usual number before replying. Do not transfer any money.
Fake recruiter and fake verification code
The fake recruiter offers a job you never applied for, with quick pay, then pushes you to a private messaging app where they ask for money or documents. Another case: a text like “Your verification code is 482913” that you never requested. That code confirms a login or a payment in your name. Never read it out to anyone, even someone claiming to be your bank.
Spotting a fraudulent SMS: the 5 signs to check
No single sign settles it. Two signs together are enough reason not to tap. One is enough when the message involves money.
- A number starting with 06 or 07. Since October 2024, French carriers have had to authenticate the numbers they display (Arcep, review published February 16, 2026). Fraudsters fell back on ordinary mobile numbers, as the Banque de France points out. A “service” that writes from a mobile is suspect. Consumer reports of unsolicited calls and messages passed 23,000 in 2025 (+113%).
- A hijacked conversation thread. A sender name can be imitated: the fake message then shows up in the same thread as the real texts from your bank. Number spoofing rose 517% in 2025 according to Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr. The thread proves nothing.
- A shortened link or an imitated domain. Read the address up to the first slash. amendes.gouv.fr is official. An address like amendes-gouv-paiement.com is not. A bit.ly or tinyurl link hides the destination.
- Urgency backed by a penalty. Extra charges, legal action, wage garnishment: fake fine texts wave these threats to cut your thinking short.
- A request for data. Card number, expiry date and 3-digit security code, logins, a code received by SMS. French health insurance never asks for bank details or a password by text.
Spelling no longer tells you anything. Recent messages are written without errors and some rely on an AI-generated voice. Check the source rather than the language.
What to do after tapping a fake SMS link
Start by contacting your own bank and the authorities in your country. The steps below name the French bodies, since the examples in this article come from France.
If you entered no data, close the page and change your sensitive passwords. If you entered a card, call your bank to block it immediately.
- Close the page. Uninstall any app installed from the link. Change the passwords you entered and the ones you reuse elsewhere.
- Block the card. Call your bank or the interbank card opposition service in France at 0 892 705 705, open 24/7. The Banque de France lists the rate: €0.34 including tax per minute.
- Keep the evidence. Save the SMS and screenshots of the fake site before deleting anything.
- Report it. Forward the SMS to 33700, the French reporting platform, then report the fake site on Pharos (internet-signalement.gouv.fr). For fraud using the name of a merchant or a courier, Signal Conso passes the case on.
- File a police report. Go to the police station or the gendarmerie. The Perceval platform records fraudulent payments made with a card that stayed in your possession. It does not replace the report. France Victimes (116 006) supports the process for free. Info Escroqueries answers on 0 805 805 817, from 9 am to 6:30 pm, Monday to Friday.
- Ask for a refund. Write to your bank and report the unauthorized transaction as soon as you spot it, at the latest 13 months after the debit. The police report helps your case but does not have to come first.
In France, for a card payment you did not authorize, article L133-18 of the Monetary and Financial Code requires the bank to refund you immediately, at the latest by the end of the first business day after you report it. It can only depart from that if it has good reason to suspect fraud on your part and tells the Banque de France in writing. You must report the debit within 13 months.
If the bank claims gross negligence on your side (article L133-19), article L133-23 puts the burden of proof on it. According to the Banque de France, a police report is not a prerequisite for the refund, though it remains useful.
A transfer you approved yourself under pressure from a fake bank advisor is more fragile. The bank may treat it as authorized, so a refund is not guaranteed.
Blocking and filtering fake SMS on iPhone and Android
On iPhone, turn on the filtering of unknown senders in the Messages settings. On Android, turn on spam protection in Google Messages. These filters reduce the flow without stopping it.
iPhone
In the Messages settings, turn on the filtering of unknown senders. Messages from numbers missing in your contacts are sorted apart and notifications go quiet. To block a number, open the conversation, tap the contact at the top and choose the block action.
Android
In the Google Messages settings, turn on spam protection. To block one sender, long-press the conversation and choose the block action. You can also report the message as spam, which sends the report to Google. Phones that use another SMS app (Samsung, for example) offer similar options.
Blocking a number does not stop the wave. The scammer writes from another mobile. Reporting to 33700 (in France) or to your own country’s reporting service is the logical next step.
Fake WhatsApp messages: same script, other channel
Do not answer an unknown number that asks you to “continue over there” on WhatsApp. Scammers move the conversation there from the first exchange. The fake relative and the fake bank advisor both use it, according to Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr. In the conversation, open the contact details to block or report the number. No transfer should ever rest on a voice message.
And missed calls: the wangiri
The wangiri is a phone scam, not an SMS one. A foreign number rings once then hangs up, hoping you will call back a premium-rate number. Before calling back an unknown prefix, identify the country in the list of country calling codes. The 33700 platform also collects fraudulent calls in France.
Do you send SMS? Avoid looking like a fake one
A legitimate sender shows a clear name and a STOP mention. Its link is explicit. HLR verification cleans your number base. It does not detect a fraudulent SMS.
An honest sender pays for the distrust these scams create, especially in B2B SMS. A custom sender name makes you recognizable straight away.
On the content side, learn to put a link in an SMS campaign without it passing for a suspicious shortened link. Also keep the STOP SMS mention that the law requires. Carriers also filter some sends: see SMS deliverability across carriers.
That leaves the number base. According to Captain Verify’s HLR Lookup page, the service returns the line status (valid, invalid, unknown) as well as the carrier. Roaming and portability also appear in the report. The HLR documentation states that 96 countries and more than 300 carriers are covered. Checks run by list or through the HLR API. Run a sample of your base through HLR before your next campaign.
Frequently asked questions about fake SMS
How can I tell if an SMS is legitimate?
Trust neither the displayed name nor the conversation thread. Open the website or app of the service yourself, typed by hand, then see whether the information is there. An agency such as French health insurance may write by SMS. It never asks for bank details.
What should I do if I tapped the link in a fake SMS?
Close the page and change the passwords you entered. If you filled in a card, block it right away. Keep the SMS, then file a police report. Next, report the message to 33700 and the fake site to Pharos (both French services). Your bank handles the refund request.
What is 33700 for?
33700 is the French platform for reporting unwanted or fraudulent texts and calls. Forward the suspicious SMS to 33700 (a free service), then give the sender’s number when the service asks for it. Carriers use these reports to block numbers.
Is replying STOP to a fake SMS dangerous?
Replying to an unknown sender can confirm that your number is active and attract more messages. STOP works against an advertising SMS from an identified brand. Against a suspicious SMS, do not reply: forward it to 33700 (or your country’s equivalent), then delete it.
Will the bank refund me after a fake SMS?
In France, for an unauthorized card transaction, article L133-18 of the Monetary and Financial Code requires the bank to refund you immediately, at the latest by the end of the first business day after you report it. If it claims gross negligence, it must prove it (article L133-23). Block your card right away and report the debit within 13 months. A police report is useful but is not a prerequisite. A transfer you validated yourself under a fake advisor’s pressure is more fragile, and a refund is not guaranteed.
