Phishing website posing as EDF

[nectarine]

Just a warning to all. I regularly look in the 'junk mail' section of my email to checking nothing legit has got in there, and found an email from EDF Blue Ciel entitled 'Paiement Refuse'.

"Cher(e) EDF Client(e) : Votre paiement a été refusé par votre établissement bancaire en raison d'un problème technique sur le systeme de prélèvement automatique. Dépassement du plafond journalier,

Erreur de saisie des données bancaires,

Erreur de la saisie du nom du titulaire de la carte de crédit.

Pour éviter la pénalités du retard, nous vous donnons la possibilité de payer en ligne.

Afin de régler votre facture N° F03674.9278.5417.3681, cliquer sur le lien ci-dessous :

‹‹ Régler votre facture ››

Lors d'échec de régularisation de votre situation, nous procéderons à la suspension de fourniture d'energie, Cette intervention vous sera facturée "

Now the 'Regler Votre Facture' link takes you to a website "paiement-impaye.com." which Google blocked as a phishing website. A quick Google search shows others receiving supposed-EDF emails that take them to this site where, presumably, one would have to enter one's bank details to 'correct' the payment error. Naturally, it's a con!

I thought I'd share this in case others receive similar emails.

[mint]

Call me paranoid, but I don't even activate mon éspace client with utilities companies and not even with our insurance company.

I worry that I'd get sent emails that I might reply to, being of a polite nature and congenitally trusting (for "trusting" read stupidly naive).

Hard as it is for me to use the phone (especially when there is an electronic switchboard), I still prefer to ring, pay bills by cheque, etc. 

Thanks for the warning which might certainly be useful for many.

[Clair]

Unlike Sweet, I have an Espace Client at EDF, which I use to update my meter readings and to pay my EDF bills.

I always access it from a saved bookmark on my laptop and never ever from a link displayed in an email.

[suein56]

[quote user="Clair"] I always access it from a saved bookmark on my laptop and never ever from a link displayed in an email.

[/quote]

Oh dear, it's cyber oblivion for me then as I always click on the link in my EDF email and I then input my readings in my account on their website and, oh dear again, EDF take their payment from my French bank account by prélèvement automatique. In all the years we have been in France this method has worked extremely well with no problems.

Now I expect all hell to break loose and chaos to descend.

Sue x