France’s Financial Markets Authority (AMF) warns of several internet domain names using the AMF acronym. It urges retail investors and financial professionals to check carefully whether they are visiting the AMF’s real website.

As part of its active monitoring of unauthorised use of its name and logo, the AMF has observed an increase in recent weeks of newly registered domain names containing the initialism “AMF”. While these active domains currently only direct internet users to pages under construction, they could be used in phishing campaigns or, more generally, in spoofing campaigns impersonating the AMF and targeting retail investors or professionals.

This type of practice aims to obtain from the victims personal information (identity documents, bank details, etc.), customer files or funds for various reasons (taxes, fees, etc.) and use this for fraudulent purposes.

The practice of impersonating financial industry professionals and public institutions or authorities is not new but has increased significantly over the past two years. The AMF therefore urges the public and regulated industry players to be particularly careful when they receive an email or link purporting to be from the AMF.

The regulator reminds that its website is available at https://www.amf-france.org.

The AMF urges anyone who receives a fraudulent link or e-mail of this type not to follow up on these solicitations and report them to its information service, AMF Epargne Info Service, using the form on its website.

The AMF will take action to put a stop to and sanction these fraudulent activities.