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People in France are being warned about a scam which is affecting shoppers in supermarket car parks in different areas of France.

One victim, Fernande, 83, told that she had just finished her shopping in a Pyr茅n茅es-Orientales supermarket and was loading the bags into her car.

At that moment, a woman approached her, claiming to be a supermarket worker and saying that she had overpaid for one of her items and that she was owed money.

The woman then asked Fernande to hand over her bank card and tell her her pin so that she could carry out the refund.

In reality, once in possession of the card, the scammer went straight to the supermarket ATM and withdrew 鈧�400.

鈥淣ow, I am often afraid,鈥� Fernande said. 鈥淚 have to make my son come with me because I am always anxious.

鈥淚 was shocked because I am aware that in a supermarket, there are security guards, cameras, and normally that should not happen,鈥� her son said.

A similar situation unfolded in a Lot supermarket car park, where the would-be victims Lucile, 88, and Antoine, 89, were suspicious of the 鈥榮upermarket worker鈥� and refused to hand over the card. The scammer then tried to snatch it.

As suggested by the ages of the victims who gave testimony, this scam is targeted at the elderly.

The scheme may seem like an obvious scam, but 鈥渢he scammers know what they鈥檙e doing,鈥� said C茅line Thomas of the Pyr茅n茅es-Orientales gendarmerie. 鈥淭hey are often women and they speak very nicely; they know how to manipulate things, they are very kind and succeed in distracting their victim鈥檚 attention through fraudulent verbal manoeuvres.鈥�

Local gendarmeries are stepping up officer presence around supermarkets in response.

It should be noted that real supermarket workers should be wearing a badge and will never ask for your pin number.

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