Watch out for these three letters on French bank transfers - they may indicate a scam

Bank account owners in France are being warned to check direct debit payments after an increase in fraudsters taking payments this way. 

People using their bank card to purchase something on the internet, such as a file conversion or PDF of a document, may spend around €2 thinking little of it. 

However, the terms and conditions of some sites can include an agreement for monthly debits to be deducted following this initial payment.

These payments often range from between €20 to €50, similar sums as regular debits for mobile phones, internet, and other monthly subscription services etc.

It means they can often go by unnoticed when the account holder conducts a quick check of their banking activity.

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Scam payments can be identified

Numerous websites run this type of scam, however there is often one thing in common. 

The debit transaction almost always includes the letters ‘HPY’, with examples including ‘HPY cv online’, ‘HPY stopcontrat’, and ‘HPY pdf-conv’.

These letters stand for HiPay, a payments system often used by online vendors. This is a legitimate service when used for genuine and authorised transactions, but has become the method of choice for scammers. 

If you think you may have been affected, take a closer look at your outgoing payments from your bank account. 

You can usually see these on your bank’s smartphone application or website (once logged into your personal space), or through a paper copy of account transactions. 

Some banks also have a separate space on your profile to check direct debit payments, where you may find if the payment is set up to be a monthly order.

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What to do if affected

You can cancel unauthorised payments of this type. 

Contact your bank to inform them of the fraudulent charge. You may be able to have the amount(s) refunded.

If you still have issues, you can contact Signal-Arnaques, the official French fraud site to inform them.

Finally, taking your issue to an online mediator or consumer rights groups is possible if all other avenues fail. 

It is possible to be refunded several months’ payments if you had not previously noticed them.

To prevent further instances it may be possible to activate notifications on all outgoing payments with your bank, sent to you either via smartphone or email. 

This will help you to quickly stop any unauthorised payments including direct debits.

Read more: What to do if scammers try a ‘money mule’ trick on your French bank account