Prefect’s identity stolen for an online financial scam
The Prefecture of Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin has issued a warning about the circulation of fraudulent content using Prefect Cyrille Le Vély’s identity and image to promote a purported financial investment platform.
Shared across various social media platforms, fake articles and doctored videos also mimic the visual style of the *Journal de Saint-Barth* in order to lend greater credibility to the scam. These posts promote investment opportunities with returns presented as particularly lucrative and encourage internet users to invest money in them. The prefecture states that the prefect obviously has no connection whatsoever with this content or with the financial platforms being promoted. In response to this identity theft and the manipulation of images, audio and video clips, a complaint has been lodged with the gendarmerie. Government departments are urging the public to exercise the utmost caution: do not click on any suspicious links, never disclose your personal or banking details, and warn your loved ones, particularly the most vulnerable. Official communications from the Prefecture are only disseminated via its verified accounts and its ‘saint-barth-saint-martin.gouv.fr’ email addresses.
