Scammed Online in France: How to Report and Get a Refund

If you have been scammed online in France (arnaque en ligne), three things usually need to happen quickly: report the fraud to the correct official service, contact your bank if money left your account, and file a formal complaint (plainte). France runs several separate government channels for this, and choosing the right one matters.

This page explains where to report an online scam, how the bank-refund rules work when a card is used without your authorisation, and the deadlines that protect you. Two legal provisions are often confused: the bank's duty to refund an unauthorised debit quickly, and the longer window you have to contest a fraudulent transaction. Keeping them apart is the key to acting in time. It is general information about French law, not legal advice.

Information last verified on 22 July 2026. This page presents general legal information, not legal advice.

First steps after an online scam

The moment you realise you have been scammed, stop communicating with the other party and preserve everything. Save screenshots, emails, messages, the web address of the site, order numbers, and any transaction references. This evidence supports both a bank dispute and a criminal complaint.

If a bank card or transfer was involved, contact your bank immediately to block the card (faire opposition) and flag the transaction as fraudulent. Speed matters here, because your bank's refund duties and your own liability both depend on how quickly you report. Change the passwords for any account the scammer may have reached, and enable two-factor security where you can.

Where to report an online scam

France separates reporting by purpose, and using the right portal avoids delay.

Pharos, at internet-signalement.gouv.fr, is the platform for reporting illegal online content, such as a fraudulent shopping site, a scam advert, or a phishing page. It targets the content itself rather than recovering your money.

Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr is the national assistance service. It helps you diagnose what happened, gives step-by-step advice, and can point you to vetted professionals if a device or account was compromised.

Perceval handles card fraud specifically. You reach it through service-public using your FranceConnect identity, and it is meant for unauthorised card use where you still hold your card. You should already have blocked the card with your bank before using it. Perceval feeds information to investigators; it does not replace your bank claim or a complaint.

THESEE is the online complaint platform for internet-based fraud, including fake sellers, phishing, and online blackmail. It lets you lodge a formal complaint (plainte) without going to a police station. For card fraud, the system routes you to Perceval instead.

Getting your money back: the refund rule

The core protection sits in Code monetaire et financier article L133-18. When you report an unauthorised payment, your bank must refund the amount of the unauthorised operation immediately, and in any event no later than the end of the first business day after being informed. It must also put your account back into the position it would have been in had the debit never happened.

This covers card debits you did not authorise, such as a cloned or stolen card or a fraudulent online charge. The obligation is deliberately fast: the default is a next-business-day refund, not a drawn-out investigation before you see your money.

The 13-month deadline to contest is a separate rule

It is easy to merge two different deadlines, so keep them apart. Article L133-24 of the Code monetaire et financier gives you up to 13 months from the debit date to contest an unauthorised or badly executed payment. That is the outer window in which you must raise the dispute with your bank.

Article L133-18 is the other side of the coin: once you have reported within that window, it sets how fast the bank must refund you (immediately, and by the end of the next business day at the latest). In short, L133-24 is your deadline to complain, and L133-18 is the bank's deadline to repay. Confusing the two can cost a refund, so treat them as two distinct rules.

When the bank can refuse

The refund is not unconditional. The bank can decline it if it proves that you acted fraudulently, or with gross negligence (negligence grave), for example by disclosing your PIN, passwords, or one-time security codes, or by ignoring obvious warning signs. Before you notify the bank, your liability for a lost or stolen card is capped by law; after you notify it, you are generally not liable for further fraudulent use unless fraud on your part is shown.

There is an important limit to keep in mind. If you were tricked into authorising a payment yourself, for instance by a fake bank adviser persuading you to validate a transfer, that is often treated as an authorised operation rather than an unauthorised one, and the automatic L133-18 refund may not apply. These cases turn on the detail, and courts continue to refine how much protection applies.

Filing a formal complaint

Reporting to your bank and filing a criminal complaint are separate steps. A complaint (plainte) asks the prosecutor to investigate the offence, while a simple police log (main courante) only records that you reported something. For internet scams you can file the complaint online through THESEE, or in person at any police station or gendarmerie.

For how the complaint process works and what to bring, see our guide to filing a complaint in France and the explanation of the difference between a police log and a formal complaint. If instead you paid a seller who simply never delivered, that is usually a consumer dispute rather than card fraud; our guide on the online purchase refund covers that route. For the wider picture, see the France criminal law hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do first if I have been scammed online in France?

Stop all contact with the scammer and keep the evidence: screenshots, emails, the website address, and any transaction references. If a card or bank payment was involved, contact your bank at once to block the card and dispute the debit. Then report the fraud through the relevant government service and, where appropriate, file a formal complaint. Acting quickly protects both your refund rights and any investigation.

How do I report an online scam to the French authorities?

France runs several distinct channels. Pharos, at internet-signalement.gouv.fr, is for reporting illegal online content such as fraudulent sites or ads. Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr offers guidance and helps you find assistance. THESEE lets you file a formal complaint online for internet scams such as phishing, blackmail, or fake sellers. For card fraud, use Perceval instead. Each service has a different purpose, so pick the one that matches your situation.

Does my bank have to refund an unauthorised card payment?

Yes, in principle. Code monetaire et financier article L133-18 requires the bank to refund an unauthorised card debit immediately, and no later than the end of the first business day after you report it, and to restore your account to the state it would have been in. The refund can be refused only if the bank shows that you acted fraudulently or with gross negligence, for example by sharing your PIN or codes.

How long do I have to contest a fraudulent transaction?

Article L133-24 of the Code monetaire et financier gives you up to 13 months from the debit date to contest an unauthorised or incorrectly executed operation. This is a separate rule from the refund deadline in article L133-18: the 13 months is your outer window to raise the dispute, while L133-18 governs how fast the bank must then repay you. Do not confuse the two.

Can I get a refund if I paid a seller who never delivered?

That is usually a different situation. If you knowingly authorised the payment to a seller who then failed to deliver, the transaction was authorised, so the unauthorised-payment refund under article L133-18 does not automatically apply. This is generally a consumer-rights dispute rather than card fraud. See our guide on getting a refund for an online purchase in France for the right route.