Lost or Stolen Credit Cards and Mobile Phones in the French Riviera
A lost or stolen bank card, credit card or cheque book should be reported to the nearest police station to the place in which the theft happened. The police provide a "Declaration of theft" certificate (Récépissé de declaration de vol) for the issuing authority (the bank) and insurance company.
Lost or Stolen Credit Cards
A bank issues emergency contact telephone numbers when an account is first opened and the bank card and cheque book issued. These should be kept and used in the case of loss or theft.
First contact the issuing bank or (if after hours) contact the "interbancaire" emergency service which all day, every day (24/7):
National reporting centre for lost and stolen back cards (Service Interbancaire) - Tel: 08 92 705 705
If a card is lost, stolen, (or been seen to be used fraudulently), contact the bank and request that the card be blocked. The bank issues a registration number (numéro d'enregistrement) which should be quoted in any later dispute. Confirm the declaration of loss or theft by registered letter to the bank and include the registration number from the bank and the police declaration of theft certificate if one has been issued.
The card holder may be held responsible for up to €150 payments made on the card from the time it was lost or stolen, up to the point at which it is reported stolen to the bank; there are circumstances in which they are not responsible (for example if the PIN code was not used in a transaction).
The French Government have more information (in French)
Credit card report numbers
The weblinks are to the lost and stolen advice page for each card provider, giving information on what to do in the event of card loss or theft:
| Credit Card Emergency Contacts, France | Tel | National Centre d'Opposition - all French cards: Inter-bank emergency reporting service (24/7) |
0892 705 705 |
|---|---|
| All French cheques: Inter-bank emergency reporting service (24/7) |
0892 68 32 08 |
| Diner's Club Calling from outside France (available daily 24 hours) |
0810 31 41 59 Tel: 0033 149 06 17 76 Website |
| MasterCard Emergency in France |
0800 90 13 87 Website |
| American Express Travellers' Cheques |
0800 83 28 20 Website |
| Visa Global card assistance service |
0800 90 11 79 Website |
Lost or stolen cheque book
National reporting centre for lost and stolen cheques (operates 24/7) - Tel: 08 92 68 32 08
Lost or Found Items
Lost items should be reported to the nearest police station. Found items should also be dropped off at the police station.
Lost or Stolen Mobile Telephone
A mobile cellular telephone has:
- SIM Card with number. This is the telephone number. Access can be protected by personalising the card with a 4 digit PIN number.
- IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity). This is the mobile's unique identification number
The IMEI number protects the owner if the phone is lost or stolen. It is usually printed beneath the battery or can be found by typing the following:
To find IMEI number, enter: * # 0 6 # on the keypad
Note the number and keep it separate from the phone. If it is lost or stolen, call the service provider and give the IMEI number. The service will be suspended and the phone may be traced. To report a theft, supply the police with the IMEI number and the date, time and place the phone was last used.
For more information: Click here (in French)
| Provider | Call from France | Call from outside France | Website | Orange | Tel: 3000 or 09 69 36 3000 | Tel: +33 969 36 3000 | Orange |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bouygues Telecom | Tel: 06 00 38 56 19 | Tel: +33 600 38 56 19 | Bouyguestelecom.fr |
| SFR | Tel: 06 1000 1900 Tel: 0033 149 06 17 76& |
Tel: +336 1000 1900 | SFR.fr |
| Free | Tel: 3244 Website |
Tel: +33 1 78 56 95 60 | free.fr |