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CRIME

French hunter convicted for killing British man he mistook for boar

A French hunter who shot dead a British man he mistook for a wild boar got a two-year suspended sentence on Thursday, days after the government outlined tighter rules for the sport.

Published: 12 January 2023 09:31 CET
French hunter convicted for killing British man he mistook for boar
A friend holds a portrait of Morgan Keane during a march, a year after he was killed by a hunter, in Cajarc, southwestern France (Photo by Valentine CHAPUIS / AFP)

As well as banning the shooter from hunting for life, the court in southwestern town Cahors gave the hunt leader an 18-month  suspended sentence and a five-year ban.

The death of 25-year-old Morgan Keane – a longtime resident of France who had dual French and British nationality – caused outrage in 2020 when he was shot while cutting wood near his house in the village of Calvignac.

“There isn’t a day I don’t think about it, it’s marked me for life. I’m sorry,” the shooter told the court at the November opening of his trial for involuntary manslaughter, admitting that he had not “identified the target”.

The case revived tensions between anti-hunting activists and defenders of a rural hobby and practice that is seen as necessary by farmers to keep down deer and boar populations in particular.

During the busy times of the hunting season, large parts of the French countryside reverberate with the sound of gunshots, leading many walkers to avoid forested areas for their own safety.

READ MORE: Alcohol limits, training days and an app: How France plans to make hunting safer

On Monday, President Emmanuel Macron’s government said it would tighten rules against hunting under the influence of drugs or alcohol, strengthen training and safety requirements and set up digital systems to warn other countryside users away from active hunting zones.

Punishments will also be upgraded, including hunters losing their licences if they are involved in a serious accident.

But ministers stopped short of implementing a popular proposal to ban hunting altogether on Sundays, fearing backlash from the influential hunting lobby.

Statistics show hunting accidents have been on the decline in France over the past 20 years.

But cases of injury or even death from stray bullets remain highly emotive and are often widely covered by the media.

Willy Schraen, the head of the influential FNC hunting lobby, said last week he couldn’t imagine hunting-free Sundays “for a single second”.

He has claimed there would be uproar in rural areas if there were a ban.

There are 1.1 million active hunters in France, according to the FNC, and some five million people possess a hunting licence.

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TAXES

How to avoid being the victim of tax scams in France this Autumn

French tax authorities have issued a warning to the public to be aware of scams, especially in the autumn when tax rebates are due. Here is how to know whether a message is fraudulent.

Published: 25 September 2023 14:04 CEST
How to avoid being the victim of tax scams in France this Autumn

Fake emails informing you of a refund

Some scam emails can appear to be very professional. They might even include the letterhead for French tax authorities or a link to the impots.gouv.fr website.

Often, email scams will imitate an official letter, using a fake signature or stamp at the bottom. These emails might inform you that you are owed a refund.

Even though the content might look legitimate, these emails are obvious scams. According to France’s Directorate General for Public Finances (DGFiP), tax authorities will “never send you any emails inviting you to visit an online form to obtain a refund (or to review your tax situation) without first logging into your personal, authenticated online space.”

In order to authenticate the email, check the domaine of the email address. Fiscal authorities will only use “@dgfip.finances.gouv.fr.” 

READ MORE: Warning: 6 of the most common scams in France to watch out for

“Any other form of address is indicative of malicious intent,” according to French tax authorities.

A general tip is to pay attention to any signs that could indicate a fraudulent message or email. These might include spelling or syntax errors, requests for detailed information about you, your company company or bank details.

Fraudulent SMS messages referencing fines

The DGFiP “never sends out text messages in the event of non-payment.” Typically, these types of scams will warn you that you have some type of unpaid fine, bill or penalty that you must click a link to pay.

Tax authorities will not send out messages asking for payment, and generally you should not click on any links you receive in a text message telling you that you owe a bill, fine or tax. 

If you have any doubts, feel free to contact the relevant tax department via an official channel, such as your personal online tax account, by email or by telephone.

READ MORE: 7 top tips for dealing with the French tax office

Fake premium rate phone numbers

Some websites have begun to list incorrect phone numbers to contact French tax offices. 

Frequently, these are premium rate numbers – such as 0899 or 0891 – that will charge you a fee for calling.

The DGFiP is working to have these numbers shut down, but individual tax centres would use normal, local numbers that begin with 01, 02, 03, 04, or 05. 

The single toll-free number for the DGFiP is 0 809 401 401, which may appear similar to the incorrect numbers listed above. As such, you should pay close attention to the number listed. The DGFiP toll-free number is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 7pm.

Scams targeting businesses

There are a few scams that are specifically targeting businesses and workers. The first is a fake DGFiP email using fake forms as attachments that you should return and fill out.

French tax authorities first saw this scam appear at the end of June, and steps are being taken to put an end to the scam.

If you have any doubt, you can reach out to the DGFiP on its contact page under ‘Professionel’ for businesses.

The second scam targeting companies and employees is the ‘False Transfer Order’. In this scam, fraudsters collect data on the company, like the names of employees and managers, as well as banks used.

Then, the scammers will pretend to be a manager or by taking on the identity of a real creditor. Sometimes they will impersonate an IT technician. They will then request that an accountant or financial worker make an ‘urgent’ transfer in his/her name. If the funds are transferred, then they will not be able to be recovered.

These types of scams might be done by post, phone or email. 

In order to avoid and recognise this scam, ask yourself if the person reaching out is behaving unusually or if the nature of the request is different than normal procedure (perhaps a change in contact details). 

READ MORE: What to do if you have fallen victim to a scam in France

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