Northern France: Fraud Press Review (July 2020)

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A ransomware attack against a construction group, a case of misappropriation of public funds in a city in Pas-de-Calais, and a case of fraudulent obtaining in a company in Bailleul have been reported during this month of July 2020 in the Northern France.

Lille: a ransomware attack against the construction group Rabot Dutilleul

The construction group Rabot Dutilleul, with headquarters near Lille, suffered a ransomware cyberattack. Hackers have attacked servers hosted in the North of France and threatened the company to publish confidential information if it didn’t pay a ransom of 8 million euros.

There is no public information about the result of this attack, but France 3 Hauts-de-France states that an investigation has been launched by the Lille Criminal Investigation Department.

Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise: misappropriation of public funds at the municipality

An investigation for misappropriation of public funds has been launched in Saint-Pol-sur-Ternois (Pas-de-Calais). The municipality has lodged a complaint and suspended two employees. Irregularities have been founds in the accounts of the town between 2012 and 2020 with a prejudice of 125 000 euros.

The investigation will have to to determine whether the two employees are actually involved in the fraud and how it has been committed.

Bailleul: a haulier judged for fraudulent obtaining

A plastics processing company with a plant in Bailleul alleges that haulier has committed fraudulent obtaining between 2013 and 2015 by establishing fake invoices and receiving payments for services that he had not realized. The prejudice is estimated at more than 230 000 euros for the plastics company.

The haulier was delivering materials to the factory for several years. He says that the invoices irregularities were due to the factory organization, which required a delay in the invoices in order the spread the expenses over the time.

The Court in Dunkirk will give its decision at the end of August. The Prosecutor considers that the fraud has been supported by negligence within the plastics factory, and requires six months of suspended prison for the haulier.

Roubaix: the owners of stolen motorbikes trace the thieves online

After the theft of a vehicle or materials, it may be interesting to have a look to the main classified websites. This a common way for the thieves to quickly sell the stolen goods. A private detective will know how to use the classified websites while investigating a case of theft.

Recently some people have also experienced this as they have traced the thieves of their motorbikes on the French website Leboncoin. They have made an appointment with the robbers in Roubaix, and the anti-crime brigade (BAC) could arrest them. They will be judged soon for theft and receiving.