Situation
Bank fraud or a fake adviser: first steps
If a payment, a transfer or access to your bank is involved, contact your bank immediately using a number you know or from the official app. Keep the calls, messages, transaction references and screenshots before deleting anything.
Practical guide · ~6 min read · we will never ask for your codes.
Has money just gone out, or is a call in progress?
Three steps right away: hang up and don’t call back the number shown; call your bank through an official channel (the number on the back of your card) to block your card and dispute; don’t delete anything: texts, calls and notifications are your evidence.
Recognising the fake adviser scam
The fraudster poses as your bank, its “fraud department” or a security provider. Three signs come up almost every time: if you spot them during a call, it’s time to hang up.
An alert that creates urgency
It all starts with a believable pretext: a suspicious transaction, a compromised card, a pending transfer or a “blocked” account. The aim is to make you act fast, before you think.
You are asked to “confirm” something
You are asked to approve a notification, give a code received by text, add a payee or confirm a transaction presented as a “cancellation”. That is the heart of the trap.
A caller who knows too much
The number displayed looks like your bank’s and the person already knows some of your details. This appearance of legitimacy is manufactured: a real adviser never asks for your codes.
The priorities in the first few hours
Six stages, from the most urgent to the most considered. The right order avoids two common mistakes: leaving an access active, or deleting items useful to the file too soon.
Two reflexes to keep in mind while you act. First: never confirm a transaction “to cancel it”: that is exactly how the transfer goes out. Second: a real adviser never asks for your password, an authentication code received by text or your full card number.
Once the bank has been alerted, take five minutes to write a simple timeline. It will be used for the dispute, the police report and, if needed, a report. Note, in order:
- the time of the first call or message, and the number displayed;
- who the caller claimed to be (bank, fraud department…);
- the information they already had about you;
- the instructions they gave you;
- the transactions approved or noticed (amounts, payees, IBANs);
- the actions taken after the discovery (card block, report…).
Useful evidence is not necessarily technical: a timestamped screenshot, a text, a bank notification or an email is often enough to establish the timeline. We always separate what is observed from what is assumed.
Bank, report, complaint: in what order?
Separate the banking emergency, keeping the evidence and the appeal if you are refused. Here is the useful sequence.
1. The bank, without waiting
Report the disputed transactions to the fraud department, block the exposed cards and payment methods, and ask for transfers to be frozen if the situation warrants it. Ask for written confirmation of your dispute and of the measures taken. Check payees, limits, scheduled transfers and direct debit mandates.
2. Reporting
Depending on the case: Perceval for bank card fraud (after blocking the card), or a police report (through THESEE where applicable) for wider fraud. Reporting does not replace the dispute with your bank: it strengthens it.
3. Complaint and mediation
If the answer is inadequate, send a clear, factual complaint: facts, amounts, disputed transactions, absence of genuine consent in favour of the payee, documents and receipts. A sober sentence (“I dispute these transactions, which were carried out as part of a fraudulent scheme”) carries more weight than an emotional account. If the refusal persists, the file can be taken to the banking ombudsman or a legal adviser.
Never do this
Some knee-jerk reactions make the situation worse or weaken your file. Keep them in mind.
- Never confirm a transaction “to cancel it”. That is precisely the moment when the transfer or payment actually goes out.
- Don’t call back the number shown during the scam. Always use the official number, on the back of your card or in the app.
- Don’t give out any code, password or full card number. No real adviser will ever ask you for them.
- Don’t delete the texts or the call log. They establish the timeline: take screenshots and keep the originals.
- Don’t wait several days to report it. Reporting quickly works in your favour in the dispute.
Unsure what to do next?
The free pre-diagnosis assesses your situation, identifies the useful evidence and tells you whether you need a technical intervention, a report or simply some support. Galyct Perso informs and supports you, but does not replace your bank, the police or a lawyer, and guarantees no result: no refund, no recovery of funds, no identification of the culprit. Commitments, not promises. We will never ask for your codes, and your data stays in France.
Official sources: Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr · Perceval, card fraud.
Further reading
Depending on your situation, these pages complete the dispute and the securing of your accounts.
Fake adviser guide
The detailed step-by-step: card block, evidence, complaint, police report and mediation, with useful wording.
Open the guide →Dispute a bank transaction
How to build a solid complaint and respond if the bank refuses to refund you.
Open the guide →Filing a police report & reporting
Perceval, police report, Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr: what each official service is for and in what order to use them.
Open the guide →Not sure? Start with the free diagnosis.
In a few minutes, you’ll know what to do, and then you decide whether you want an expert’s help.