British pensioner loses €26,000 in sophisticated bank impersonation scam in France
A British pensioner living in southwest France has lost €26,000 to fraudsters impersonating bank officials, in a case that underscores the growing crisis of financial scams sweeping the country.
Deirdre Rankin, 79, who resides just outside Bordeaux, received a phone call in August 2025 from a man claiming to represent her bank, Crédit Agricole. The caller informed her that her account had been compromised and urged her to increase her insurance coverage, which she had been paying €15 monthly to maintain.
Speaking in both French and English, the fraudster proposed using screen-sharing technology to simplify the process. This technique, known as remote access fraud, allows criminals to monitor victims' screens in real-time as they log into banking systems or enter passwords, enabling them to steal sensitive information and transfer funds.
Mrs Rankin fell victim to a scam type that now dominates digital banking fraud in France, accounting for more than 40% of all such crimes in 2025. The country lost an estimated €7.6 billion to scams in the twelve months to June 2025, with over half of French adults surveyed reporting they had fallen victim to fraud during that period.
"I know alarm bells should have started ringing, but to my regret they didn't. As with all these fraudsters, he was very professional, persuasive and manipulative."
Believing she was protecting her Crédit Agricole account, she followed the fraudster's instructions and transferred approximately €4,000 into a separate account. The bank eventually reimbursed her €300 after she escalated the matter to a mediator.
Inheritance drained from Wise account
The scammer then targeted Mrs Rankin's Wise account, which contained €22,000 inherited from her late husband. Claiming this account had also been compromised, the fraudster convinced her to repeat the transfer process, ultimately draining the entire balance. While her loss was personally devastating, it falls below the national average scam loss of €29,000 in France.
"I immediately notified both banks and cancelled my cards. Wise was initially helpful and proactive, but then said it had been my fault as I had set up transfers."
The fraudster had opened multiple accounts in her name, transferred the money between them, and promptly closed the accounts to prevent Wise from accessing them. Mrs Rankin filed a police report immediately, but no progress has been made in her case.
Crédit Agricole customers have been particularly targeted this year. In June 2026, nearly 1,000 clients of the bank had their details stolen in a sophisticated phishing campaign, resulting in 83 fraudulent payments.
A Wise spokesperson described the incident as "a sophisticated impersonation scam" demonstrating "the complex tricks and social engineering used by scammers and the lengths that criminals will go to separate people from their money."
The company emphasized it is "highly unusual" for any bank to demand payment into a separate account belonging to an individual or business. Legitimate financial institutions never ask customers to transfer money to separate accounts, download screen-sharing software during unsolicited calls, or share security codes and one-time passcodes over the phone.
Legal framework limits reimbursement
"If someone asks you to share security codes or one-time passcodes given to you via your bank or financial institution over the phone, it is a major red flag indicating a scam. Hang up immediately, and if you have shared any details, contact your financial institution so they can keep your account safe."
Wise also encourages scam victims to report incidents to local police and reminds customers they are "responsible for making sure the recipient is legitimate before making a transfer."
Unlike in some countries, banks in France are not required to reimburse customers who fall victim to scams if the account holder is found to have been grossly negligent. In January 2025, a court ruled that a scam victim's bank did not have to reimburse stolen money because the account owner had shown gross negligence, as the communication at the heart of the scam was manifestly fraudulent.
Online scam reports in France surged by over 35% in 2025, with the French Banking Federation reporting that fake bank advisor scams alone caused over €340 million in losses that year, with some individual cases exceeding €100,000.
Scammers increasingly use caller ID spoofing to make victims' phones display their bank's genuine number, making fraudulent calls appear legitimate and significantly increasing victim trust. This sophisticated technique helps explain why even cautious individuals can be deceived.
