False Administrative Websites

You just paid for a service on a foreign website that helps with administrative procedures, however, you find out that French authorities offer these services free of charge.

Description of the fraud

The French administration offers information and a range of administrative procedures on their websites for free. Such procedures include obtaining a driver’s license; or requesting a birth certificate, car registration form, or criminal records.

However, a company unaffiliated with the government even if based in another country is allowed to provide these services for a fee if it follows these rules:

  • The company performing these services on your behalf does not receive any of the documents, and these documents are sent directly and only to you.
  • The company must inform you that you cannot withdraw from the contract: if you request the company’s services and later wish to cancel them, you must pay fees. However, if the company has not completed the administrative procedures or they were not fully completed, you might not have to pay such fees.
  • The company must inform you of all fees and must send you a bill or confirmation of your order, including all taxes.

Beware of traps!

  • These websites can be very official-looking, and may try to fool you by copying the design of official government websites, using the French flag, referencing other ministries, and/or being at the top of your search page.
  • Look at the URL of official sites of the French administration, and ensure they end with “.gouv.fr” or “.fr”, and never by “.gouv.org” or “.gouv.com”. However, even if a site’s URL ends with “.fr” that does not necessarily mean it is an official website! Moreover, it does not necessarily mean that the company is based in France.
  • Ensure that you were not signed up for a subscription without your knowledge.

Practical advice

  • Before beginning any administrative procedures, research them on official (French) government websites, and especially before ordering any service from a company and providing them with your card information, make sure you cannot get the same procedure for free directly from the administration.
  • Identify and evaluate the company offering this service, its professionalism, etc.
  • If you’ve already paid a company based in another EU Member State, in Iceland, in Norway or the UK to perform this service and you have not received any documents, do not hesitate to contact the European Consumer Centre of your country of residence. Contact your bank to request a reimbursement of the fee via the chargeback process (or any other insurance or guarantee you may have with your payment card).

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.