Thousands Fall for Fake Refund Scam in Their Emails: Don’t Be Next!

Scams are proliferating, and fraudsters are constantly refining their tactics. It is becoming increasingly difficult to identify a fraudulent email, as artificial intelligence tools have eradicated the usual spelling errors. Victims now receive emails that appear genuinely official, whether they’re supposedly from an electricity supplier or a retirement insurance service, making it hard to spot the deceit at first glance.

This is exactly what happened to Julie, who recently received an email from EDF stating: “We are contacting you today on behalf of EDF to inform you of a reimbursement for an overpayment on your account. After reviewing our records, we have found you are eligible for a refund in the amount of 219.90 euros.” The email also mentioned a deadline—just three days post-reception—to claim the money. Julie was urged to log into her client area through a link to update her personal and banking information. However, it is exactly such links that one should never click on.

Other victims have been tricked by emails from their retirement insurance, this time announcing a pension refund due to an overpayment. Official agencies remind their clients that they never communicate about such matters via email. “All official information is only sent through your secure personal space on lassuranceretraite.fr,” the agency clarifies. EDF additionally notes that their email addresses always end in: @edf.fr, @edf.com, @contactclient-edf.fr, @info-edf.com, or @infos-edf.fr.

Generally, if an email promises easy money, think twice as it’s probably too good to be true. Scammers exploit urgency and trust to tempt you into clicking. Before you act, take a moment to check the exact address of the sender: often a small detail, like a string of numbers, a domain name error, or an unrelated address, is enough to reveal the fraud.