A 'bank courier' is coming for your card: how the scam works and what to do in the first hour

On 14 October, Midi Libre reported a new wave of 'fake courier' bank fraud around Béziers (Hérault). This isn't just a local scam. Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, the government's cybercrime victim-assistance service, describes it in its fact sheet on fake bank advisers (updated 7 May 2026). Below is how the scam works and what to do, wherever you live.

How it plays out

This is how Cybermalveillance describes it:

• Someone calls claiming to be from your bank or its fraud team. They often already know your name and card details, and the caller ID sometimes shows your bank's real number, because the number has been spoofed.
• They say suspicious transactions are going through and ask you to confirm or cancel them urgently.
• They ask for the code you've just received by SMS, or for a tap on 'confirm' in your banking app. In reality, you're approving their card payment, new payee or transfer.
• In the courier version, they get your PIN out of you. Then a 'courier' or 'bank employee' comes to your home to collect the card, which is then used for withdrawals and purchases.

Why newcomers are exposed: the call is in French and urgent. The caller uses confident banking jargon, and the number on screen looks right. If you've only recently arrived and don't yet know how your bank normally contacts customers, all of this sounds plausible.

The one rule to remember

Cybermalveillance puts it plainly: 'Jamais un conseiller de votre banque ne vous demandera de lui communiquer votre mot de passe.' A bank adviser will never ask for your password. The fact sheet also advises never sharing confirmation codes or your PIN, never handing over your card, and never approving operations you didn't start yourself.

If a call feels wrong, hang up and call your bank yourself, using the number in your app or on the back of your card. Don't call back the number that rang you, because it may have been spoofed.

If you've already handed over the card or the codes

The steps below come from Cybermalveillance and service-public.gouv.fr:

1. Block the card ('opposition') immediately, through your bank or the interbank line 0 892 705 705 (24/7, paid call). You'll get a registration number. Keep it, because it's your dated proof of the block. Service-public notes that some banks aren't connected to this line and use their own number. If your card is from a foreign bank or a neobank, find its blocking number in advance.
2. If your online banking was accessed, change your access code or ask the bank to reset it.
3. Keep evidence: the numbers that called you, texts, emails and transfer details.
4. File a complaint ('plainte') at a police station or gendarmerie, or by letter to the public prosecutor. Service-public says that if the card is no longer in your hands, you block it and file a complaint first. The online Perceval service is meant for cases where you still have the card and its details were used online.
5. Write to your bank asking for a refund, and attach the complaint receipt.

Free help: France Victimes, 116 006 (7 days a week, 9:00–19:00), and Info Escroqueries, 0 805 805 817 (weekdays, 9:00–18:30).

What the rules say about refunds

Service-public's page on card fraud ('Fraude à la carte bancaire', checked 13 February 2026) says the bank must refund the amounts debited, plus any related overdraft or payment-incident fees. The refund is due immediately, and at the latest by the end of the first business day after the bank receives your claim. Fraudulent payments more than 13 months old cannot be refunded, and late blocking can give the bank grounds to refuse.

The page on stolen cards ('Vol de sa carte bancaire', checked 6 February 2025) adds a caveat. No refund is due where the customer was at fault or negligent ('faute ou négligence'), and the burden of proof is on the bank. The rules don't say in advance how a bank will treat a customer who read out the code and handed over the card themselves, so the best protection is never to hand it over. If the bank refuses, the rules provide for going to the banking mediator first, then to court.

In short

Banks don't send couriers to collect cards. Hang up and call back yourself. If in any doubt, block the card, because a new one can always be issued. Note your bank's blocking number now rather than hunting for it in a panic.

Sources: Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr — Fraude au faux conseiller bancaire (updated 07/05/2026); Service-public — Fraude à la carte bancaire (checked 13/02/2026); Service-public — Vol de sa carte bancaire (checked 06/02/2025). Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0. This is general information, not legal advice.