Cybersecurity: in the face of scams, the French are not paying enough attention online

Beware of scammers. Invited on RTL this Monday morning, the director general of the French Banking Federation, Maya Atig, made a reminder to the French, too little attention to security on the internet. As fraudsters become more insistent and imaginative, consumers must guard their personal data jealously, the representative said.

«

We are under more and more pressure from scammers [...]. More numerous in quantity and stronger in quality, with offers that seem credible, calls that seem extremely professional and people who try to take control of the brains of those they call to scam them, "explained Maya Atig at the microphone of the radio. His organization, which brings together French financial institutions, is therefore launching an awareness campaign on this subject, in order to put the right reflexes forward.

The trend is indeed rather relaxed, among consumers, while a little more than seven out of ten French people - 71% - check the elements of security on websites, according to a survey conducted by the representative organization of the banking sector. A share down over one year. "There is a loss, compared to things that were well known," Atig said. Similarly, inflation obliges, more people attracted by false bargains are ready to click on links, on the internet. "Time is speeding up for each of us, so we're doing more and more things, faster and faster. [...] We click, we do not pay attention and we are fooled, "she then added.

The scam attempts concern everyone, not just the elderly, who are less accustomed to browsing the web, said the director general. A quarter of French people "take risks", by clicking on an unwanted link, for example. The under 25s are "even more numerous" to have been targeted by a scam attempt, even if "less than 10% of the population" was actually scammed in the end.

Pay attention to bank details

Faced with these multiplying attempts, the French Banking Federation therefore calls on consumers to pay more attention than ever to their personal data, and in particular their banking data, a treasure coveted by scammers. Its director general also advised Internet users to use a different password for their banking applications, to limit the risks if another site is hacked and the encrypted data associated with its users is stolen. Beware of calls from fake advisors: a real professional will "never ask for your bank details," said Maya Atig. People who would be victims of scams can be reimbursed in "the vast majority of cases", she stressed. But "the best reimbursement is the one that does not need to be".

Last April, a study by the Banking Federation sounded the alarm, noting that risky behavior remained "too numerous" among consumers. "Bad reflexes" were pointed out, such as registering bank details on a site for future purchases, for 45% of the French, or sending bank details by email to a relative, for a third of them. The organization then launched a national awareness campaign, recalling that "fraud attempts are becoming more frequent and more elaborate". So be careful.