French consumers warned of renovation scams and fake recovery agencies

Consumer fraud targeting French households is on the rise. Unsolicited calls or door‑to‑door visits promote cheap energy‑renovation work by invoking public aid schemes such as MaPrimeRénov’. The practice is illegal under the July 2020 law that bans energy‑renovation telemarketing, and a stricter regime takes effect on 11 August 2026, rendering any contract concluded after illicit contact automatically void. Victims can exercise a right of withdrawal, block payments and seek contract cancellation to retrieve their money.

A second wave of fraud exploits victims of prior scams. organisations posing as “recovery agencies” contact individuals, claim they can retrieve lost funds, and often disguise themselves as representatives of the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) or the European Consumer Centres Network (ECC‑Net). These impostors request personal data and additional payments, further deepening the victims’ losses. Authorities warn that only the justice system can intervene to recover funds and advise against responding to such unsolicited offers.