A rise in fraudulent cryptocurrency support calls has emerged in France, with scammers exploiting recent data breaches to target crypto users, according to reports from industry figures.
Owen Simonin, founder and CEO of French crypto platform Meria, has warned of an increase in scam attempts where threat actors impersonate customer service representatives of legitimate exchanges including Binance and Meria itself.
Simonin linked the surge to overlapping data leaks affecting both private companies and public sector institutions in France. "Data leaks are piling up in private companies as well as in the public sector: all these leaks intersect. That's how we identify crypto holders and the platforms they use," he stated.
How the Scams Operate
The scammers follow a consistent pattern: they contact users claiming their accounts are compromised and urge them to transfer funds immediately to secure them. This artificial sense of urgency is designed to bypass critical thinking.
"If you panic and follow through, that's where your money will go—to their address," Simonin explained.
He advised users that legitimate services do not initiate unsolicited contact to request transactions or personal information unless the customer has reached out first regarding a specific issue.
Broader Security Context
France has experienced a broader increase in cryptocurrency-related crime. In August, France's General Directorate of Public Finances reported a data breach exposing the information of 678,000 taxpayers, contributing to the escalating threat landscape for crypto holders in the country.
