France's national cybersecurity agency, the Direction Générale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information (DGSSI), has issued a public alert regarding a large-scale SMS phishing campaign. The fraudulent messages impersonate law enforcement, claiming the recipient must pay a speeding fine for a recent traffic violation.
The messages contain a link that directs victims to a sophisticated fake website mimicking the official Antai (Agence nationale de traitement automatisé des infractions) portal. This site is designed to steal personal and banking information under the guise of processing the fine payment.
The DGSSI emphasizes that official speeding fine notices (avis de contravention) are never sent exclusively by SMS. Legitimate procedures involve a registered letter with an official form. Authorities urge citizens to never click on links in such messages and to report them via the government's phishing reporting platform, PHAROS.
This scam campaign is part of a broader trend of smishing (SMS phishing) attacks targeting French citizens. Cybersecurity experts recommend verifying any such claim by directly accessing the official Antai website through a trusted browser bookmark, not a provided link.
