PARIS (Reuters) – France’s top court ordered BNP Paribas SA on Wednesday to repay a client who fell victim to a scammer who pretended to be an adviser for the bank.
The scammer called the client in 2019 and asked him to delete five people from his list of beneficiaries for wire transfers and then add them back using his confidential code, the court said.
The phone number that appeared on the client’s phone was identical to that used by his real bank adviser in a technique known as “spoofing”, when a caller disguises their identity.
The client realised he had been the victim of a scam two days later, when he noticed fraudulent transactions on his account amounting to 54,500 euros ($58,756.45).
Banks in France are required to reimburse clients who fall victim to scams, but when the client asked his bank to reimburse him, it refused, saying he had committed “serious negligence”.
The court said the bank had not proven the client had committed serious negligence and ordered it to repay the client for the fraudulent transactions, with interest and 1,500 euros ($1,617.15) in damages.
A spokesperson for BNP Paribas said it acknowledged the court’s decision which it said referred to a “specific situation.” The bank said it has since worked to improve its systems to combat fraud and to raise customer awareness.
Fraud of this type is on the rise in France, accounting for 379 million euros last year, according to government figures.
($1 = 0.9276 euros)
(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Christina Fincher)
