Digital. Online scams: our tips to avoid getting scammed!

Their total amount will be 3.3 billion euros in 2024, according to the latest barometer from the UFC-Que Choisir consumption observatory.

The phenomenon of online scams is massive, with 15% of French people reporting having experienced one in 2024.

Emails (15%), websites (14%), social networks (11%) and text messages (10%) are the scammers' favorite playgrounds.

No one is safe, as scam techniques have become so sophisticated. Sextortion emails (extortion of money through sexual blackmail), initially riddled with spelling mistakes, have become extremely realistic, capable of exactly reproducing the terms used in government agencies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is boosting the capabilities of scammers. Phishing, fake bank advisor fraud, fake technical support fraud, spam, account hijacking, ransomware, identity theft... the government website Cybermalveillance describes a number of constantly evolving practices.

Have you received a ticket notice by email asking you to open an attachment? A text message from a delivery person asking you to click on a link to collect a package? Don't click.

Be wary of any rash action, especially if you're asked to act quickly. Scammers rely on this sense of urgency to cloud your judgment.

Instead, take the time to check whether it is possible that you have actually committed a speeding offence or are waiting for a package.

Take the time to check the link sent by visiting the website of the organization concerned. Or take the time to run a Cyber17 diagnostic via Cybermalveillance.

And remember that no administration, whether it is the Public Treasury, the Automated Offense Processing Agency (Antai) or even Health Insurance, will ever send you a text message.

If a bank advisor calls you or uses your bank's number without you having made any request, do not take the call and call your bank back.

Be wary of numbers you don't recognize. Also, be wary of sponsored sites that appear at the top of a search engine query.

Finally, be wary of public Wi-Fi networks (train stations, airports, restaurants) and do not carry out any sensitive transactions (shopping payments or bank account checks) while connecting to them.

Whether it's your computer, smartphone, or tablet, secure your passwords. Using Dashlane or 1Password, you can generate strong passwords that regenerate randomly.

Install updates to your apps and operating systems; these often include security fixes.

You can supplement these precautions by installing an antivirus that you should download directly from the publisher's website.

Finally, remember to save your most valuable files (photos, texts) or your most sensitive files on an external drive, in a cloud space or using a digital safe .