Lost or Stolen Credit Cards and Mobile Phones in France

What to do and where to call if your credit cards or telephones are lost or stolen in France...

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).

• For further information: Click here (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:

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)