Short answer: a move normally triggers 10 to 20 texts over three weeks, because within a few days you hand your number to your energy supplier, your telecoms operator, La Poste, your insurer, your bank and several couriers. Most are legitimate and come from 3xxxx short codes or alphanumeric sender IDs. The fakes all share one trait: they demand immediate payment or your login details, via a link.
Hugo and Salomé moved into a two-bedroom flat in Nantes on a Saturday in October. By Monday evening, their phone had racked up eleven messages: confirmation that the electricity had been switched on, a request for a meter reading, tracking for two furniture parcels, validation of their mail forwarding, a bank verification code to update their address, and three promotions from DIY chains. On Tuesday, a twelfth message announced "an unpaid balance of €47.80 on your electricity contract — settle within 48 hours." It was the only fake of the batch. It was also the most believable, because it landed at exactly the moment they were expecting a bill.
Moving house is one of the rare everyday situations where the legitimate noise is so dense that a fraudulent message blends straight into it. Here's how to take back control.
Why do you get so many texts after moving house?
Because a change of address is, technically speaking, a simultaneous update of your customer record at a dozen organisations — and text messaging has become their default notification channel.
Over two to three weeks, you have generally given your mobile number to:
- your energy supplier (opening a contract at the new place, closing the old one);
- the network operator (Enedis for electricity, GRDF for gas) via your supplier, for the connection and the meter reading;
- your telecoms operator (moving the router, engineer appointment);
- La Poste, if you have taken out a mail forwarding service;
- your home insurer, your bank, your health insurance provider;
- the couriers handling your equipment purchases (appliances, furniture, bedding);
- possibly the town hall, the tax office, the CAF or the CPAM, depending on your paperwork.
Each of these players may send one to three texts. And several of them use different providers, hence different sending numbers: that's why the same company may write to you once from a 38xxx short code and another time from an alphanumeric sender ID displaying its name.
Is it normal to receive a text from an unknown short code?
Yes — in this context it's actually the rule. Business notifications go out via five-digit short codes (the 3xxxx, 2xxxx and 6xxxx ranges) allocated for so-called A2P (application-to-person) messaging. You had never seen that number before because you had never opened an energy contract from this address.
If you want to pin down exactly who sent it before acting, our guide to decoding a short code or an alphanumeric sender ID sets out the method, and the site's short codes page summarises the ranges and their uses.
Which moving-related texts are legitimate?
A text linked to your move is probably genuine if it informs without demanding anything, or if it asks for information only you hold and that has no monetary value.
| Type of text | Typical sender | What it asks for | Sign of legitimacy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connection confirmation | Energy supplier | Nothing, or confirm a date | No payment link; correct contract reference |
| Meter reading request | Supplier / network operator | Enter a numeric meter index | No banking details requested |
| Router engineer appointment | Telecoms operator | Confirm a slot with YES/NO | Reply by text, not via a link |
| Delivery tracking | Courier | Nothing, or pick a slot | Tracking number that matches your order |
| Mail forwarding validation | La Poste | Nothing | Matches a process you started yourself |
| Verification code | Bank, tax office, CAF | Do nothing except enter it in the app you already have open | Arrives while you are on the official site |
The meter reading request by text is the one that surprises people most. Yet it is common when moving in: the index read by the customer avoids an estimated bill. The test is simple: a genuine reading request asks only for index digits, never an IBAN, a bank card or a password. During the first few days, keeping a pocket torch within reach near the fuse board saves you from photographing a meter in the dark — and from copying down the wrong index.
What about promotional texts from DIY stores?
They are lawful if you gave your number during a purchase or when signing up for a loyalty card, and if they relate to similar products. They must all offer a STOP option to the short code indicated. We covered this mechanism in our article on texts received after an in-store purchase.
Which fake texts target people who are moving?
Scammers know the timeline of a move better than you do. Four scenarios come up again and again.
1. The fake unpaid energy bill
The message announces a residual balance on the old contract or a connection deposit, with a small, believable amount (between €20 and €90) and a short deadline. The link leads to a bank card form.
What a genuine supplier does: it sends a closing invoice by email or post, with a payment window of several weeks, and no text ever contains a direct payment link. The full mechanism is described in our article on energy bill scam texts.
2. The fake meter or wiring compliance check
"Your new home requires a mandatory electrical compliance inspection. Book an appointment: [link]". No such obligation is triggered by moving in, and neither Enedis nor GRDF cold-canvass by text with a link to a paid appointment booking. These campaigns exist to harvest contact details that are then sold on to home-improvement salespeople.
3. The fake mail forwarding charge
Highly effective, because the service genuinely exists and genuinely costs money. The text announces a "payment failure on your mail forwarding contract" or "an additional €1.95 to settle." The trivial amount is deliberate: it lowers your guard, and its real purpose is to capture your full card number. The principle is exactly that of the fake customs fee text.
4. The fake furniture courier
You are waiting for a sofa, a washing machine, a bed. The text announces a delivery "awaiting a redirection address" or "unpaid upstairs delivery fees." Same structure: urgency, small amount, link.
One rule covers all four cases: no payment, no card details, no logging into an account from a link received by text while you are moving. You open the official app or type the site's address yourself.
How do scammers know you're moving?
In most cases they don't know specifically: they send out mass campaigns, and autumn is statistically a period of high turnover in housing. But three leaks make the targeting sharper:
- property listings and local furniture resale groups, where people post their number to clear out boxes and furniture;
- online removal firm quote forms, some of which sell contact details on to "partners";
- equipment purchases delivered to the new address, which put your name, address and number into several logistics chains — the phenomenon we documented in our article on delivery texts that know your address.
That's also why a fraudulent text can mention an accurate detail (your town, the courier's name, "your bedding order"). One correct detail is not proof of authenticity.
How can you limit your number's exposure while moving?
Three simple steps, to take before the boxes come out:
- A secondary number for listings and quotes. To sell your furniture or request five removal quotes, use a second line (a prepaid SIM or an eSIM) rather than your main number. The method is set out in our guide to using a second number to compartmentalise your activity.
- Always untick the "partners" boxes on energy, broadband and insurance sign-up forms. That's the moment your number heads off into marketing databases.
- Write down your contract references as soon as you sign up, in a spiral notebook kept with your housing paperwork or in your password manager. A fake text becomes harmless when you can check in ten seconds that the reference it quotes doesn't exist.
What exactly should you do when faced with a suspicious text?
A five-step procedure you can run in under two minutes:
- Don't click. Not even "just to look."
- Check through a channel you chose yourself: the official app of the supplier, La Poste or the courier, or the number printed on your paper contract. Never the number given in the text.
- Report it to 33700. Forward the message to 33700 (free, all operators), then send the sender's number when the service asks for it. The scheme, run by the operators under the auspices of Arcep and AF2M, makes it possible to have sending numbers shut down. Our article explains what happens to your report to 33700, and the unwanted texts and 33700 page summarises the steps to follow.
- Block the sender on your phone, then delete the message once you've reported it.
- If you clicked and entered data: call your bank immediately, block your card, change the passwords concerned, and file a complaint. You can also submit a report at cybermalveillance.gouv.fr. Our piece on the 72 hours that decide what happens next gives the exact order of the steps.
How do you stop the marketing texts that arrive after moving in?
For lawful marketing, reply STOP to the short code given in the message: it is free apart from the cost of a standard text, and must take effect promptly. If the messages continue despite a STOP, you can refer the matter to the CNIL: text marketing without valid consent, or without a working opt-out, breaches the GDPR and Article L. 34-5 of the French Post and Electronic Communications Code. The applicable rules are set out in our article on texting and the GDPR.
As for the cold calling that often follows a move, registering with Bloctel remains the official route, but it does not cover text messages: only STOP and 33700 have any effect on those.
The "first month" kit so you never get caught out
For the four weeks after moving in, three habits are enough:
- One single place for your paperwork. Scan or photograph your contracts, meter readings and delivery notes, and file them in an expanding document wallet dedicated to the property. You'll know instantly whether an amount claimed by text corresponds to anything real.
- Meter readings taken and written down on the day you hand over the keys, for both the old and the new home. That's your best defence against a fake unpaid bill.
- A text filter switched on. iOS (Settings → Apps → Messages → Unknown & Spam) and Google Messages (Settings → Spam protection) set some fraudulent campaigns aside. Our guide to messaging settings on iOS and Android gives the exact paths.
If you're waiting for a verification code that doesn't arrive when updating your address with your bank or the tax office, it isn't necessarily a scam: the network and operator filters sometimes hold these messages back. The diagnosis is in our article on verification codes that arrive late, together with the text not received page.
Updated 14 October 2026. The 33700 procedures, CNIL processes and settings paths may change: check the official sites cited.
Frequently asked questions
Can an energy supplier really ask for my meter reading by text?
Yes. It's common practice when a supply is being connected or terminated, to avoid an estimated bill. The message asks only for index digits: the moment it demands a bank card, an IBAN or a login, it's fraudulent.
I received a text about an unpaid bill at my old address. How do I check?
Log in to your customer account through the official app, or by typing the supplier's address yourself, and compare it with the contract reference on your invoice. A real balance appears in your online account; it is never settled through a link received by text.
Does La Poste send texts about mail forwarding?
It may send a confirmation that you have subscribed or that the service is now active. A text demanding a top-up of a few euros with a payment link, however, is a classic scam: the service is paid for when you sign up, at a post office or on the official website.
Should you reply STOP to a fraudulent text?
No. Replying confirms that your number is active and belongs to a real person. STOP is only for lawful commercial marketing, which you can identify by the "STOP XXXXX" wording. For a fraudulent text, forward it to 33700 and block the sender.
How long does the wave of texts last after a move?
Generally three to six weeks: the time it takes for contracts to settle down, deliveries to arrive and the promotional campaigns triggered by your purchases to run out of steam. If marketing messages persist beyond that, STOP and then the CNIL are the right levers.
