A stranger calls presenting themselves as a financial advisor with an exclusive cryptocurrency opportunity. This is the opening move of one of the most damaging phone scams in France, with individual losses regularly exceeding €20,000–€50,000 according to the AMF (Autorité des Marchés Financiers).
The fake trading platform
The scammer directs you to a slick-looking website. After a small initial deposit, your "portfolio" shows spectacular gains — but any attempt to withdraw triggers endless excuses. No withdrawal ever materialises. The entire platform is fabricated.
Manipulation tactics to recognise
- Artificial urgency: "this offer expires in 48 hours".
- Guaranteed returns: no legitimate investment can promise 20–200% gains in weeks.
- Loss aversion pressure: once you've invested, they warn that withdrawing now forfeits your "earnings".
What to do
Check any platform against the AMF's blacklist at abusifs.amf-france.org before transferring money. If already targeted, document everything, contact your bank, file a complaint with the AMF and report on Signal Conso (signalconso.gouv.fr). Search suspicious numbers on TelCheck — community reports often flag known scam numbers.