France considers unified short number to combat rising banking fraud

French banks and the Banque de France are considering the implementation of a unique short number to combat rising telephone fraud. This initiative, proposed by the Observatoire de la sécurité des moyens de paiement (OSMP), aims to provide a secure way for customers to contact their bank's anti-fraud department after hanging up on suspicious incoming calls.

In 2025, manipulation-based fraud in France reached 516 million euros, a 34% increase from the previous year. This figure represents 41.6% of all payment method fraud. A significant portion of these losses, totaling 376 million euros, involves victims performing transfers themselves under the psychological pressure of scammers.

Recent fraudulent tactics involve automated voice servers impersonating banks to report suspicious transactions. These scams urge victims to press a specific key, such as '1', to resolve the issue. This action connects the victim directly to a scammer who uses social engineering to extract confidential banking information, card numbers, and passwords.