Elderly people are disproportionately targeted by phone scammers: they are more often at home and reachable, tend to place greater trust in authority figures, and are more likely to hold significant savings. The DGCCRF consistently reports that people over 65 account for a disproportionate share of scam-related complaints in France.
The most common scams targeting seniors
- Fake utility technician (EDF/GDF): caller claims urgent home intervention is needed or service will be cut, then requests payment.
- Grandparent scam with AI voice cloning: scammers use AI to clone a grandchild's voice, fabricate an emergency, and request urgent cash or gift-card payment.
- Fake CPAM agent: posing as French health insurance to update carte Vitale or refund an overpayment. ameli.fr never asks for banking information by phone.
- Fake bank advisor: claims fraud on your account and asks you to validate a transfer to a "secure account".
Protecting your elderly relatives
- Establish a family code word that any relative calling in an emergency must say to confirm their identity.
- Register on Bloctel (bloctel.gouv.fr) to reduce commercial calls.
- Encourage use of TelCheck to look up any unknown number — free, instant, no account needed.
If a senior has already been scammed
Contact the bank immediately, file a police report, and call France Victimes on 116 006 (free, 7 days a week). Report the fraudulent number on TelCheck and Signal Conso (signalconso.gouv.fr).