Some phone scams are so widespread they constitute genuine fraudulent industries. In France, three themes dominate reports to the DGCCRF and Signal Conso: CPF (personal training account) scams, fake energy supplier scams, and fake parcel delivery scams. All three exploit legitimate administrative processes to establish credibility.
The CPF scam: your training account finances the fraudster
The Compte Personnel de Formation (CPF) lets every worker in France accumulate professional training rights. In 2025, over €43 million was diverted through CPF fraud (Caisse des Dépôts data). A caller offers a free training (driving licence, skills assessment), asks for your Mon Compte Formation (moncompteformation.gouv.fr) login, then registers your CPF credit with a fictitious organisation and cashes it in. Absolute rule: never share your Mon Compte Formation credentials with a third party.
The fake energy supplier scam: your PDL as the entry point
A caller presents themselves as an adviser from EDF, Engie, or TotalEnergies, offering savings of up to 30% on your bill. They ask for your PDL number (on your electricity bill) and your IBAN. With these, a supplier switch can be initiated without your informed consent. Since 2022, telephone energy contract canvassing is strictly regulated in France. Exercise your 14-day cooling-off right if you signed under pressure. Report to the CRE (Commission de Régulation de l'Énergie) if rules were violated.
The parcel delivery scam: smishing as the main vector
An SMS or call says a parcel is held at customs and asks for a small fee (often €1.99–5) via a link imitating DHL, La Poste, Chronopost, or UPS. Entering your card details does not just pay €2 — it hands over your card for future charges. Real carriers never request payment via an SMS link. Genuine customs fees are billed at delivery or via official French customs correspondence (douane.gouv.fr). If you entered your card details, contact your bank immediately.
Check and report with TelCheck
Whatever the scenario — CPF, energy or parcel — always check the calling number on TelCheck (telcheck.fr) first. Also report suspicious calls on Signal Conso (signalconso.gouv.fr) to alert the DGCCRF and protect other consumers.