-
France’s top literary prize 2024 awarded to author Kamel Daoud
The Prix Goncourt is widely seen as France’s version of the Nobel prize for literature
-
MAP: Offshore sites identified for new wind farms in France
President Macron has made the expansion of wind generated energy a priority
-
Important changes for drivers in central Paris from November 4
A 5.5 km2 zone in the centre will now have traffic limitations in place
Total rubbish: Scam over new household bins in France
Fraudsters pretend to be from the council and ask residents to pay for a new rubbish bin
A new scam involving rubbish bins and waste collectors has been reported in France, with fraudsters pretending to be municipal workers to trick residents into handing over money.
Fraudsters in Reims (Grand Est) have been knocking on residents’ doors, incorrectly telling them that their rubbish bin needs to be changed by the council.
They then ask the resident for payment to replace the bin. But of course, once the payment is taken, the criminals disappear, and the bin remains unchanged.
The head of waste removal in Reims told local news site Union.fr that “the prevision, replacement or reparation of a bin is [always] done for free” by the council.
It added that anyone who is approached by someone appearing to be from the council out of the blue, asking for money (for a bin or otherwise), should not be paid or let inside, and should be reported to the police.
It comes in the same week as residents in France were warned to watch out for text messaging scams asking for extra fees in return for a parcel; and a “hypnosis” scam in northern France, in which a mysterious individual with a black stone tricked women into handing over valuables and cash.
Related articles
Watch out for scam texts over parcel delivery fees in France
France launches new online platform for reporting internet scams
Carte Vitale scam: People in France warned over fake emails and texts
‘Hypnosis’ scam spreading across northern France but hard to prove