FRANCE Trends and Developments Contributed by: Samuel Sauphanor, Alexandra Szekely, Timothée de Saint Viance and Benoit Barré, Le 16 Law
Emerging International Fraud Trends In recent years, international fraud has under - gone a significant transformation, fuelled largely by technological advancements and the digiti - sation of financial and governmental systems. Fraudsters now operate within sophisticated transnational networks, leveraging digital plat - forms and cyber tools to commit large-scale financial crimes with unprecedented speed and relative anonymity. A key development is the rise of cyber-enabled fraud, encompassing tactics such as phishing campaigns, social engineering schemes and business email compromise. These approach - es manipulate individuals or organisations into revealing sensitive data or authorising financial transactions under false pretences. Alongside these, ransomware attacks have become a for - midable threat. Criminals encrypt victims’ data or systems and demand cryptocurrency pay - ments in exchange for decryption keys. Increas - ingly, these attacks target critical infrastructure, healthcare systems, multinational corporations and public institutions, posing both financial and security risks on a global scale. Adding to the threat landscape is the prolifera - tion of fraud as a service (FaaS) platforms on the dark web. These services offer turnkey solutions for crimes such as identity theft, payment card fraud and data breaches, lowering the barrier to entry for less technically skilled actors and ena - bling high-impact fraud schemes. Cryptocurrency-related fraud has also emerged as a major concern. While digital assets offer innovative financial opportunities, they are fre - quently exploited in Ponzi schemes, fraudulent investment platforms and money laundering operations, particularly in jurisdictions with lim - ited regulatory oversight.
All of these risks are also considerably height - ened by the democratisation of access to multi - modal generative AI, which facilitates manipula - tion and other forms of identity theft. Global geopolitical or public health-related cri - ses have also proven fertile ground for fraud. Scammers take advantage of emergencies to launch schemes involving fake charities, fraudu - lent procurement contracts or deceptive appeals for emergency funding. In response, France has significantly strength - ened its legal and institutional response to address the complexities of international fraud in the business sector, especially regarding corpo - rate liability, cybersecurity, sanctions and com - pliance. In addition, international co-operation among law enforcement bodies, regulators and the private sector has become more essential than ever. Lawyers have also had to adapt and adjust their practices to the increasing sophisti - cation of international fraud in order to provide their clients with a swift response to maximise the chances of recovery. France’s Legal and Institutional Framework Specialised agencies and units To tackle international corruption, tax evasion and cybercrime, France has established the fol - lowing dedicated agencies. • OCLCIFF ( Office Central de Lutte contre la Corruption et les Infractions Financières et Fiscales ), which focuses on corruption and major financial crimes. • C3N ( Centre de Lutte contre les Criminalités Numériques ), a cybercrime unit within the National Gendarmerie, which addresses digi - tal threats and fraud. • TRACFIN ( Traitement du Renseignement et Action contre les Circuits Financiers clandes-
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