How to Report Fraud in France (2026): Online Complaint, Police or Gendarmerie, Evidence & Timelines

If you are wondering how do I report fraud in France, the answer depends on urgency, the type of fraud, and whether you are physically present in the country. France offers three principal channels: filing a complaint online through the Ministry of the Interior’s Ma Sécurité platform, reporting in person at a police station or gendarmerie brigade, or sending a written complaint directly to the public prosecutor (Procureur de la République). For consumer or commercial scams that do not yet rise to criminal severity, the government’s SignalConso portal provides an additional reporting route.

In an emergency, for instance, if a fraud is in progress or you are under immediate threat, call 17 (police/gendarmerie) or 112 (European emergency number) before doing anything else.

Is This Fraud Under French Law? Quick Legal Definition and Thresholds

Before you report fraud in France, it helps to understand what French criminal law actually classifies as fraud. The central offence is escroquerie, defined under Article 313‑1 of the Code pénal (as published on Legifrance). Escroquerie requires proof that a person used a false name, a fictitious capacity, the abuse of a genuine capacity, or fraudulent manoeuvres to deceive another person and thereby obtain the transfer of funds, valuables, or property, or the provision of a service, to the detriment of that person or a third party.

The distinction matters because not every dishonest act constitutes escroquerie. A simple breach of contract or a failure to pay a debt is a civil matter, not a criminal one. For a prosecutor to open a criminal case, the complainant generally needs to demonstrate that the suspect used deliberate deception, not merely that a business deal went wrong. Where the conduct involves the use of a computer system or digital manipulation, the offence may alternatively fall under fraude informatique (Articles 323‑1 to 323‑8 of the Code pénal), which covers unauthorised access to, or interference with, automated data-processing systems.

If you are unsure whether the conduct you experienced amounts to a criminal offence or a civil dispute, a white-collar crime lawyer can assess the facts and advise on the most effective reporting channel. Industry observers note that prosecutors are more likely to pursue cases where clear documentary evidence of deliberate deception is presented at the outset.

Which Channel Should I Use to Report Fraud in France? Online Portal vs Police/Gendarmerie vs Prosecutor

Choosing the right reporting channel is one of the most common sources of confusion for victims. The decision turns on whether the matter is urgent, whether you are in France, and whether the fraud is criminal or purely a consumer grievance. Below is a breakdown of each channel, followed by a comparison table.

Ma Sécurité (online complaint via the Ministry of the Interior)

The Ma Sécurité platform, operated by France’s Ministry of the Interior, allows victims to file a France police online complaint without visiting a station. The system is designed for non-emergency offences, including fraud, online scams, and identity theft, where there is no immediate danger. You create an account, describe the facts in a free-text statement, upload supporting documents (bank records, screenshots, correspondence), and submit. The platform issues a complaint reference number and routes the file to the competent local police or gendarmerie unit for follow-up. Filing a complaint online in France through Ma Sécurité does not replace the need to attend a station if investigators later require a formal interview or additional identification.

SignalConso (consumer and business reporting)

SignalConso is a public service portal operated by the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF). It is designed for consumer-level complaints: misleading commercial practices, unfulfilled online orders, hidden fees, and similar trader misconduct. Critically, a SignalConso report is not a criminal complaint. The platform notifies the business concerned and may trigger administrative action by the DGCCRF, but it does not initiate a police investigation. If you believe the conduct is criminal, you should file separately through Ma Sécurité or at a police station.

Police or gendarmerie in person or by phone

You can walk into any police station (commissariat) in urban areas or any gendarmerie brigade in rural areas and file a complaint (plainte) in person. The officer will take your statement and draft a formal report known as a procès-verbal. Always request a copy of the procès-verbal and the stamped receipt (récépissé), these documents confirm your filing date, which is legally significant for limitation periods. In Paris, police reports can also be initiated online through the Paris prefecture’s dedicated portal before attending a station to finalise the filing. Either a police or gendarmerie complaint in France will be forwarded to the relevant Procureur de la République for a prosecutorial decision.

Step-by-Step: How to File a Fraud Complaint in France

Filing via Ma Sécurité

To file online through Ma Sécurité, navigate to the Ministry of the Interior’s online complaint portal. You will need to create an account using a valid email address and identification. Once logged in, select the appropriate offence category, for fraud, this is typically escroquerie or arnaque en ligne (online scam). The form requires you to enter:

• Your identity details. Full name, date of birth, nationality, and current address.
• A plain-language statement of facts. Describe what happened in chronological order, who contacted you, what was promised, what payments or data you provided, and when you realised it was fraudulent.
• Supporting documents. Upload bank statements, screenshots, emails, contracts, or invoices. Files are typically accepted in PDF, JPEG, or PNG format.
• Suspect details (if known). Name, phone number, email address, website URL, or bank account details of the suspected fraudster.

After submission you receive a complaint reference number. Keep this number, it is essential for all future correspondence with police, your bank, and any legal counsel you instruct. Note that Ma Sécurité does not offer full anonymity for criminal complaints, though certain preliminary tip-off reports may be made without identification.

Filing in person at a police station or gendarmerie

Attend the nearest commissariat (urban) or gendarmerie brigade (rural) with your identity document, all supporting evidence, and a clear written summary of the facts. The officer will interview you and record a procès-verbal. Read the document carefully before signing. Request both a signed copy of the procès-verbal and a stamped récépissé (receipt). These documents are your proof that a France police report has been filed and establish the date for limitation purposes.

Sending a complaint by mail to the Procureur de la République

You may also send a written complaint (plainte) directly to the Procureur de la République at the Tribunal judiciaire with jurisdiction over the place where the fraud occurred or where the suspect resides. As recommended by Service-Public guidance, send the letter by recorded delivery with acknowledgement of receipt (lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception, or LRAR). The letter should include your full identity, a detailed chronological account of the facts, copies of all evidence, and a clear statement that you wish to file a criminal complaint. This route is particularly useful when a police station has declined to record your complaint, something victims occasionally encounter in practice.

Evidence and Digital Preservation: What to Collect and How to Report Fraud Effectively

The strength of any fraud complaint depends on the evidence presented. French investigators and prosecutors assess the quality of documentation at the earliest stage, and a well-prepared evidence file significantly increases the likelihood of a case being pursued. Whether you are filing online or in person, the following checklist covers the categories of evidence you should collect and preserve.

• Financial records. Bank statements, credit card statements, wire-transfer confirmations, SWIFT/BIC details, PayPal or payment-platform receipts, and cryptocurrency transaction hashes.
• Communications. Complete email threads (not just selected messages), SMS and messaging-app logs (WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal), call logs, and voicemail recordings.
• Contracts and invoices. Any written agreement, purchase order, invoice, or receipt connected to the fraud.
• Digital screenshots. Capture the full webpage, social-media profile, or advertisement used in the fraud. Include the URL bar, the page content, and the date/time stamp. On mobile devices, use the native screenshot function and immediately note the date and time.
• Identity evidence. Business registration details, domain-name WHOIS records, social-media profiles, and any identity documents provided by the suspect.
• IP and technical data. Email headers (showing originating IP addresses), login records, and any server logs you have access to.

To preserve the integrity of digital evidence, export files in their original format wherever possible. For email, export as .eml or .msg rather than copying text into a Word document. For webpage evidence, consider using a web-archiving tool or a notarised screenshot (constat d’huissier), which a French judicial officer (commissaire de justice) can prepare and which carries strong evidentiary weight in court.

Be aware of data-protection constraints under the CNIL’s guidance. While you are entitled to collect evidence of fraud committed against you, avoid accessing third-party accounts or systems without authorisation, doing so could expose you to criminal liability under the fraude informatique provisions. If critical evidence is held by a third party such as an internet service provider or a bank, inform the police so they can issue a formal requisition or subpoena.

Timelines: What Happens After You Report Fraud in France

Once your complaint is filed, whether online, in person, or by mail, it follows a structured procedural path. Understanding this sequence helps manage expectations.

First, the complaint is recorded and assigned to a local police or gendarmerie unit. An officer reviews the file for completeness and may contact you for additional details or a follow-up interview. The file is then transmitted to the Procureur de la République, who decides one of three courses:

• Classement sans suite (no further action). The prosecutor closes the file, typically because there is insufficient evidence or the conduct does not meet the criminal threshold. You have the right to challenge this by filing a complaint directly with the investigating judge (plainte avec constitution de partie civile).
• Enquête préliminaire (preliminary inquiry). The prosecutor directs police to investigate further, interviewing witnesses, seizing documents, or obtaining bank records.
• Ouverture d’une information judiciaire (formal investigation). For complex or serious cases, the prosecutor refers the matter to a juge d’instruction (investigating judge), who has broader powers including issuing search warrants and international mutual legal assistance requests.

Timelines vary considerably. Straightforward fraud cases with clear evidence may see a prosecutorial decision within a few weeks. Complex financial or cross-border cases routinely extend to several months or even years. Early indications suggest that cases filed with comprehensive evidence packages, following the checklist above, progress more quickly through initial screening.

Special Cases: Cross-Border Fraud, Business Fraud, and Bank Fraud

Reporting from abroad

If you are outside France, you can file through Ma Sécurité online, contact the nearest French consulate for guidance, or instruct a French lawyer to file the complaint on your behalf. Documents not in French will generally need certified translation. For fraud involving EU funds, you may also report directly to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) through its online Fraud Notification System.

Corporate and employee fraud

Businesses that discover internal fraud, embezzlement, accounting manipulation, or procurement fraud, should conduct an internal investigation before filing a complaint, preserving evidence while respecting employee data-protection rights under CNIL guidance. France’s whistleblower protection framework (transposing EU Directive 2019/1937) provides safeguards for employees who report fraud internally or to authorities.

Bank and card fraud

If your bank account or payment card has been compromised, contact your bank immediately to freeze the account or card and request a chargeback or fund recall. File a police complaint in parallel, banks typically require a complaint reference number before processing fraud-related claims. For online banking fraud, the bank may bear liability if two-factor authentication was not properly applied, but a formal complaint is still essential to trigger investigation.

Remedies and Next Steps: Civil Recovery, Chargebacks, and Freezing Assets

A criminal complaint is not the only path to recovering lost funds. In many cases, pursuing civil remedies in parallel is both advisable and necessary. A victim can apply to the court for a saisie conservatoire (protective seizure) to freeze the suspect’s bank accounts or assets while proceedings are pending. This requires demonstrating a créance paraissant fondée en son principe (a claim that appears well-founded) and a risk that recovery will be jeopardised without protective measures.

Bank chargebacks and SWIFT recalls offer additional recovery channels, particularly for card payments and international wire transfers, but both are time-sensitive, delays of even a few days can render recovery impossible. Instructing a white-collar crime lawyer early in the process ensures that criminal, civil, and banking remedies are pursued simultaneously and that critical deadlines are not missed.

Conclusion

Knowing how to report fraud in France, and acting quickly, can make the difference between recovering lost funds and losing them permanently. Preserve all evidence in its original digital format, file your complaint through the appropriate channel without delay, and contact your bank immediately to freeze compromised accounts. For complex cases involving significant financial loss, cross-border elements, or corporate fraud, instructing a qualified white-collar crime lawyer ensures that criminal, civil, and banking remedies are coordinated from the outset. If you need legal advice, find a specialist lawyer through the Global Law Experts directory.

Sources

1. Ma Sécurité, Online Complaint (Ministry of the Interior)
2. Service-public.gouv.fr, Filing a Complaint
3. SignalConso, Consumer Reporting Public Service
4. Legifrance, Code pénal
5. OLAF, Report Fraud (European Anti-Fraud Office)
6. ANTAI, Fraudulent Designation Reporting Guidance
7. CNIL, French Data Protection Authority