Police urge drivers in Dordogne to be alert to return of this scam
Three drivers were scammed out of cash last month
Scammers claim that you have damaged their car’s mirror
Richard Oses Photography/Shutterstock
Police are warning drivers in Dordogne, southwest France, to be alert to a scam dubbed the ‘wing mirror fraud’, after at least three drivers have become victims in the past month.
The Gendarmerie de la Dordogne posted a message on their official Facebook page, explaining how the ‘rétroviseur’ scam works, and urging drivers to be vigilant.
How does the scam work?
The police outlined the stages of the scam:
While driving scammers may follow you, flashing their headlights in a bid to make you stop and pull over.
They then make you believe that you have hit their side mirror with your vehicle. Their mirror will be smashed or damaged, and they will claim that you damaged it.
They may then offer to contact your insurance company but typically call an accomplice instead, who will estimate the insurance bill to be around €1,500-1,800.
The fraudster will then appear to relent, and offer you ‘an out-of-court or insurance settlement’ of cash for a smaller amount, but potentially still several hundred euros.
They fix an amount and accompany you to an ATM where you withdraw the money and hand it to them.
In reality, you did not hit their mirror, and they have taken money from you for no reason.
Three people in Dordogne fell victim to this scam in January, reports local newspaper Ici Périgord. Two were scammed out of €400, another paid €150.
The first victim, from Lardin-Saint-Lazare, was scammed on January 11. The second, from La Roche-Chalais, was targeted as they left a supermarket car park on January 22. The third, from Angoisse, was targeted on January 30 as they were driving home.
They each told the police that they had been followed by a car flashing its headlights at them, and were forced to stop.
What should I do if I think I am being targeted?
Police have advised anyone targeted in this way to:
Refuse to pay cash and do not offer any other payment options (such as cheque or bank transfer)
Insist on going through the person’s insurance company, and ask them for their details to report the issue
Record the number plate of the other vehicle
In case of any doubt or escalation, call the police on 17.
