Bank hackers attempt to steal from French with scam emails from 'Bank of France'

Hackers are attempting to steal sensitive data from French companies and consumers. A new phishing campaign reportedly involves people receiving scam emails, purporting to be from the country's central bank, requesting users to divulge their credentials, the Bank of France warned. It called for "greatest alertness" from the public.

There has been a surge in phishing emails, which come with fake bills, notifications of bank accounts being frozen and of loans having been granted, the bank said. These scam emails are designed to lure users into handing over account numbers and other sensitive data.

The Bank of France said that the hackers operating the phishing campaign were using the bank's name, logo, phone numbers and email addresses to pass off their fake emails as legitimate.

A Google translated version of the bank's statement reads: "The Banque de France alerts the public about the resurgence of data theft attempts, fraudulently using its name and targeting companies and individuals under the most diverse pretexts."

The phishing campaign involves fake emails redirecting victims to a malicious website that requests them to input their bank details. The site also asks victims to download malicious files, the bank said. The bank has warned people against divulging sensitive data online or over the phone.

It is unclear if the attacks have any connection to the recent political hacking campaign that targeted the newly elected French president Emmanuel Macron's political party during the election. IBTimes UK has reached out to the Bank of France for further clarity on the matter and will update this article in the event of a response.