Text messages after buying a used car: real or fake?

Short answer: after buying a used car, you would normally receive text messages from the ANTS (tracking your registration application), from your insurer, and sometimes from the garage or an authorised professional. These messages come from a 3xxxx/2xxxx short code or an alphanumeric sender ID, never ask for bank card details via a link, and point to ants.gouv.fr. The moment a "registration certificate" text asks for €2.99 in "delivery fees" or threatens to cancel your application, it's a scam: don't click, forward it to 33700.

Updated 20 October 2026.

Buying a used car is one of the rare moments in life when you genuinely look forward to text messages. You've just handed over several thousand euros, signed a transfer certificate, taken out insurance in a hurry, and you're watching for your new registration certificate to arrive. For three weeks, every notification matters.

That window is exactly what scammers exploit. Not by inventing some far-fetched scenario, but by mimicking the one message you're actually waiting for: "Your registration certificate could not be delivered. Delivery fee: €2.99."

Why do you get so many text messages after buying a vehicle?

Because a single purchase sets five different parties in motion, and each one has picked up your mobile number along the way.

When you buy a used car from a private seller or a dealer, your phone number is entered:

• in the online transfer declaration (déclaration de cession), filed by the seller on the ANTS website (Agence nationale des titres sécurisés);
• in your application for a registration certificate, whether you file it yourself on ants.gouv.fr or go through an authorised professional;
• in the car insurance policy taken out the same day, often by phone or online;
• at the garage or the dealership, to keep you posted about servicing, the roadworthiness test or a fuel card;
• sometimes with a broker or a paid "online formalities" website, if you went through a private intermediary.

Five channels, five databases, five sources of legitimate text messages. And five opportunities for a fraudulent message to slip into the series unnoticed.

Who really sends a text message on behalf of the French state?

The ANTS communicates mainly by email and through your personal account on the ants.gouv.fr website. It may send informational texts about the progress of an application, but never a request for payment via a link: registration taxes (regional tax, CO2 emissions tax, delivery charge) are paid in a single transaction, at the time of the application, directly within the official online service.

In other words: if you've already paid for your application and the state is asking you by text for a top-up, the message is fake. There is no such thing as "re-delivery fees" for a registration certificate billed after the fact by text message.

Remember: the registration certificate is sent by registered post via La Poste. A failed delivery is handled by La Poste or in your ANTS account, not through a link received by text.

Which text messages are normal after the purchase?

Here's what a buyer typically receives in the three to four weeks following a transaction.

Sender displayed	Plausible content	Free?	Warning sign
3xxxx / 2xxxx short code or "ANTS"	Registration application received, missing document	Yes (receiving is always free)	Request for bank card details, shortened link
Insurer's name (alphanumeric)	Certificate available, digital insurance card, direct debit	Yes	Link to an unfamiliar domain
Garage's number (06/07 or landline)	Servicing, tyres, manufacturer recall	Yes	Request for a deposit by immediate transfer
Roadworthiness test centre	Due-date reminder	Yes	"Fine if you don't attend within 48 hours"
Classified ads platform (Leboncoin, La Centrale…)	Confirmation that contact was made	Yes	Request for a code received by text

Two principles are enough to sort them out:

1. A text message received in France is always free for you, even from a short code. Only sending a text to certain short codes can carry a premium charge. If you're unsure where a five-digit number comes from, our guide to decoding a short code or an alphanumeric sender ID explains what each range corresponds to.
2. No French public body asks for payment via a link in a text message. Not the ANTS, not the DGFiP, and not the Agence nationale de traitement automatisé des infractions (ANTAI) for fines.

What does the fake "registration certificate" text look like?

It's short, it's polite, and it quotes a trivial amount. That's precisely its strength.

The variants spotted in 2026 revolve around four scenarios:

• Delivery fees: "ANTS: your registration certificate is ready. Outstanding balance of €2.99 for dispatch." The amount is too small to raise suspicion, but the payment page captures your full card number, expiry date and security code.
• The missing document: "Your registration application is blocked: proof of address illegible. Put this right within 72 hours or it will be cancelled." Here, they're not asking for money but for a copy of identity documents — the raw material for identity theft.
• The fake eco-malus: "Additional CO2 tax of €86 due on your vehicle registered on …." The message sometimes quotes a real date, lifted from a data breach or simply guessed.
• The fake penalty notice: "Offence recorded on … involving vehicle registration XX-123-XX." Fake fine texts form a family all of their own, detailed in our article on fake toll, fine and parking text messages.

The three details that give the fake message away

• The link's domain. Registration formalities are carried out only on ants.gouv.fr (and, for payment, through the state's own system). Any domain such as ants-immatriculation-fr.com, carte-grise-gouv.net or a link shortener is fraudulent. An official French government domain name ends in .gouv.fr, never in -gouv.fr or .gouv.fr.xx.
• The token amount. €1.95, €2.99, €3.40: deliberately laughable sums exist to obtain a card number, not to collect the money. The real debit comes later, and sometimes it's far larger.
• The ticking clock. "within 48 hours", "before midnight", "or your application will be cancelled". A public body gives you weeks, not hours.

How can you check the real status of your registration application?

In thirty seconds, without clicking a single link received by text.

1. Open your browser and type ants.gouv.fr yourself. Never use the link in the message, even if it looks right.
2. Log in to your account (FranceConnect or ANTS account) and open the section tracking your applications. The status there is the same one a legitimate text message would announce.
3. If your application was filed by an authorised professional (garage, dealership, approved outlet), call them directly using the number on your invoice — not the one in the text.
4. For an undelivered registered letter, use La Poste tracking with the reference on the delivery notice left in your letterbox.
5. If you haven't yet received your final registration certificate, remember that the provisional registration certificate (CPI), printable from your account, allows you to drive in France for one month.

One practical tip to avoid hunting for these documents in a panic: keep all the vehicle paperwork (transfer certificate, CPI, insurance certificate, service book) in a document holder for your registration certificate stored in the glovebox. When a text claims a document is missing, being able to check in thirty seconds what you actually supplied changes everything.

What should you do if you've already clicked and paid?

Act in order, and fast — the first few hours matter more than everything else put together.

1. Block your bank card by contacting your bank (number on the back of the card or in the app) or via the 24/7 interbank service on 0 892 705 705.
2. Change the password for your ANTS account and your email if you entered them on the fake page, and switch on two-factor authentication wherever possible.
3. Report the potential identity theft if you sent an identity document: the official assistance scheme is cybermalveillance.gouv.fr.
4. Report the message by forwarding it to 33700 (a free service set up by the operators with the support of Arcep), then reply to the automated text with the fraudulent sender's number. We explain what happens next in what really becomes of your report to 33700.
5. File a complaint at a police station or gendarmerie, with a screenshot of the text and of the payment page. The full procedure is set out in the 72 hours that decide what happens next.

As for reimbursement, article L133-18 of the French Monetary and Financial Code provides for the refund of unauthorised payment transactions; if you're refused, banking mediation and then the Banque de France are your avenues of recourse. Reporting the fraud on the official internet-signalement.gouv.fr platform also strengthens your case.

How do the scammers know your plate and purchase date?

Often, they don't: they guess. But not always.

Three sources feed campaigns targeting motorists:

• Online classified ads. A for-sale listing shows the make, model, year, mileage and sometimes a photo in which the number plate is legible. A seller who leaves their phone number in plain sight receives fraudulent messages within the hour, as we explained regarding scam texts aimed at sellers.
• Private "registration certificate formalities" websites. Many are perfectly legal but charge for an intermediary service; some resell data. Always check that a provider really is a professional authorised by the Ministry of the Interior before handing over copies of your paperwork.
• Data breaches at garages, rental companies or insurers. A file containing "name + mobile + registration number" makes a fake text formidable. If you suspect your number is circulating, our guide to checking whether a number has leaked sets out the method.

One simple move limits the damage at source: mask the number plate in your listing photos. Regular sellers often use a magnetic number plate cover for the photo session, which avoids broadcasting a unique identifier for your vehicle across the whole web.

How can you cut down the marketing texts you get after the purchase?

Here we're no longer talking about fraud but about marketing — and you have specific rights.

A business may only send you a promotional text with your consent or, within an existing customer relationship, for similar products, with a straightforward way to opt out. That's the rule set out by the CNIL, which stems from the GDPR and article L34-5 of the French Postal and Electronic Communications Code.

In practice:

• Reply STOP to the marketing text: it's free and your objection must be acted on immediately. Our article on the rules governing text message marketing sets out what the advertiser must comply with.
• Sign up to Bloctel for cold calling (it doesn't cover text messages, but it cuts down the calls that often follow a car purchase).
• When you sign, don't tick the boxes about sharing with "partners". That's the real tap.
• If an advertiser carries on despite a STOP, you can report them to 33700 and file a complaint with the CNIL.

For buyers who go through one transaction after another (reselling, buying used cars regularly), the most effective solution is still to dedicate a second number to commercial dealings. A pay-as-you-go SIM card with no commitment is all it takes, and we described the full method in a second number for everything that isn't your nearest and dearest.

The habit, in five lines

Whatever message you receive after buying a vehicle:

• an incoming text is free; a link in a text should always be typed out by hand;
• the ANTS never bills you for anything after the fact by text;
• a tiny amount paired with a tight deadline = an attempt to capture your bank card;
• if in doubt, check on ants.gouv.fr or call the garage on a number you already know;
• always report it to 33700, even if you didn't click.

If you regularly receive this kind of message and want to understand where the numbers come from, the short codes and numbering page and our unwanted text messages and 33700 feature list the ranges used in France and the reporting procedure.

One final practical point: many buyers scan their documents to send them to their insurer or garage. A portable document scanner, or simply an official app, saves you from using free third-party sites that keep hold of the files — your car paperwork contains your address, your date of birth and your registration number, which is everything needed to craft a convincing fake text.

FAQ

Does the ANTS send text messages?

The ANTS communicates mainly by email and through your account on ants.gouv.fr. Informational texts about the progress of an application do exist, but no official message asks you to pay additional fees via a link.

Do you have to pay delivery fees for the registration certificate?

The delivery charge is included in the payment made when you submit your registration application. No further amount is requested afterwards by text. A message asking for €2.99 is a scam.

Can I drive without my final registration certificate?

Yes. The provisional registration certificate (CPI), downloadable from your ANTS account, allows you to drive in France for one month while you wait for the final document.

How do I report a fake registration certificate text?

Forward the message to 33700 (free of charge), then reply to the confirmation text with the sender's number. You can also report the fraud on internet-signalement.gouv.fr and get help at cybermalveillance.gouv.fr.

Can a text received from a five-digit number cost me money?

No: receiving a text message is free in France. Only sending a message to certain short codes can be charged for, and the rate must be clearly stated beforehand.