-

IStock / City Presse

The Web has become the preferred hunting ground for delinquents.

Regular scam alerts issued by institutions and other official actors echo this.

Through a note dedicated to the question and published in September 2020, the National Observatory on Delinquency and Criminal Responses (ONDRP), however, allows us to go beyond simple feelings to draw up a quantified report.

According to this report, out of around 1.7 million victims of a scam in 2017 and some 1.2 million in 2018, 51% of people had their first contact with the perpetrator via the Internet, the majority of them directly through the Internet. through web platforms, while 6% were approached by email.

Note that the telephone and SMS are the second most popular media used by delinquents (21%), far ahead of deception in stores or at home.

Trapped purchases

While criminals never lack imagination, 75% of scams involve the purchase of a product or service.

Most often ordered in response to an advertisement made by a so-called French company, consumer, equipment or cultural goods are generally never delivered (50% of cases).

And when it reaches its destination, it does not correspond to what was expected (14%) or costs more than what was advertised (10%).

Fortunately, the financial damage for the victim remains measured since, in almost 7 out of 10 cases, the sum disbursed amounts to less than 100 euros.

That said, some pay up to 500 euros during their mishap ... However, the possibilities of compensation are meager.

Only 16% of victims get full or partial reimbursement from the scammer, while 26% are compensated by their bank or insurance.

Ultimately, the crux of the matter is that those responsible for online scams more often than not go unpunished.

Of the few people who lodged a complaint (7%) or filed a handrail (2%) in 2017 and 2018, the overwhelming majority did not obtain any results (83% of cases without follow-up).

Economy

Stock market: Beware of the kettle technique, an investment too good to be true

Economy

Beware of credit offers that are too good to be true

  • Economy

  • Scam

  • Investigation

  • Internet

  • Consumption