A new well-crafted scam is currently targeting garage owners in France. The fraudsters impersonate rental companies that put their former vehicles up for sale. They exploit a loophole that should be closed on October 9, 2025.
50,000 euros: that is the amount a mechanic in southern Manche might have lost if his bank had not rescued him at the last minute from a sophisticated swindle. Last August, he bought three used cars from a rental company. The Manchois regularly acquires recent cars (less than two years old) that leave rental companies’ fleets in this way. He made the bank transfer for the purchase and received a call from his banker shortly after. The banker was surprised by the large sum about to be sent to the account of an individual rather than a company. That set off alarm bells for the mechanic, who had believed he was transferring the money to an established company. The transaction was cancelled, the scam foiled.
“Three garages from our area have already reported this scam at the national level,” explains Emmanuel Bertot, regional head of the Mobilians union, a professional organization representing mobility trades. “The scammer sends three items to make the order,” he details. “The KBIS of the company, which is genuine, the identity card of a real person who indeed corresponds to a rental agent. And the third is the RIB.” The expert sounds the alarm. “All the documents shown are real; they go on LeBonCoin or elsewhere to find a listed vehicle, information that appears legitimate.” The vehicle registration exists, the vehicle details are accurate and verifiable. “The only weak point is the inconsistency between the RIB number and the name on the RIB. Everything else exists but does not belong to the person offering it.”
It is precisely this third element that the entire scam rests on. If the name on the RIB does match a real rental company (Sixt or Hertz, in the scams that succeeded), the account number itself belongs to the crooks. The fraud relies on identity theft of genuine car rental companies. These firms regularly offer their recent vehicles for sale to garages, a common practice in the sector. “It is customary in the trade for short-term rental fleets to be offered for sale,” notes Emmanuel Bertot. “Every day or every week, garages receive purchase offers.”
Facing what they perceive as a “reliable national contact,” these professionals sometimes lower their guard and fall into the trap. The lure of a profitable deal, because the fraudsters propose tempting discounts, also helps to dull their mistrust. The expert warns garage owners about the details to check before completing a transaction, notably the phone numbers, which should raise doubts. Unlike real rental companies that use professional switchboards, the scammers mainly use mobile numbers beginning with 06 or fixed numbers in 09. In sales contracts, small copy-paste mistakes can be spotted. The withdrawal periods offered do not correspond to those required in the sector (48 hours instead of the legal 14 days).
Automotive professionals are urged to redouble their vigilance, particularly when faced with offers that seem too good to be true or rushed sales procedures. From October 9, 2025, within the European Union, a consistency check between the name and the RIB number will have to be carried out by banks for all standard and instant SEPA transfers. They will be obliged to ensure the name of the funds’ recipient matches the entered account number.
Emmanuel Bertot fears this type of scam will multiply in the coming weeks. “This is something that will last because that name-on-RIB check will become mandatory from October 9. I think it will intensify until that date.”
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