If you receive an SMS telling you that you can benefit from the fuel allowance set up by the government or that you must buy a Crit’Air sticker, don’t fall into the trap.
The government calls on citizens to be vigilant following the proliferation of phishing campaigns, which are particularly active at the start of the year. The scams generally come in the form of an SMS, which tries to make potential victims believe that it comes from the French administration. The two trending pirate topics to catch our attention are fuel allowance and Crit’Air stickers.
“Currently, various scams are spreading by usurping the identity of the General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFiP). The Directorate General of Public Finances does not send SMS to promote the fuel allowance, the only official site to make a request is impots.gouv.fr”specifies the government on its official website.
Fuel compensation, Crit’Air vignettes, CPF: phishing by SMS does not weaken
SMS scams aren’t new, but they move with the times, taking advantage of the worries and opportunities of the moment to trick less attentive users. In general, you should never click on a link displayed in an SMS. French administrative services do not communicate in this way and most web platforms do not either.
After the CPF scams, comes the turn of those related to fuel compensation and Crit’Air vignettes, the latter already raging since last year, but still relevant. Remember that the Crit’Air air quality certificate costs 3.72 euros and must be ordered on the dedicated government site: certificate-air.gouv.fr. This is a sticker to stick on the windshield of your vehicle, which is mandatory for driving in low-emission mobility zones (ZFE).
As for the fuel allowance, this is aid available since January 16, 2023. It consists of an amount of 100 euros allocated to the ten million most modest workers. This aid aims to take over from the rebate at the pump, which ended on December 31, 2023. It is paid by transfer to the bank account known to the tax authorities for your income tax and cannot be claimed only through the site impots.gouv.fr.
Source : The Dispatch
