Prefect Files Complaint Following Identity Theft and an Attempted Online Scam

For several days, a number of documents published online circulated on so-called “social” media platforms. In a video featuring the Journal de Saint-Barth logo, Prefect Cyrille Le Vely extols the virtues of a supposedly miraculous financial investment platform and encourages the public to invest money. On a web page mimicking the Journal de Saint-Barth’s graphic design and featuring inserts from the front page, a fictional interview with the prefect once again features the State representative in Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, this time to convince readers to invest funds through the investment platform. Alerted to the situation, the prefecture confirmed the circulation of this fraudulent content. In a press release, the prefecture immediately emphasized that “the prefect has no connection to these publications, these video clips, or the promoted financial platforms.” It further clarified: “This content is part of an online scam involving identity theft and the manipulation of images (audio/video montages). Given the seriousness of these incidents, a complaint has been filed with the gendarmerie to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of these acts.”
At the same time, the Journal de Saint-Barth reported that its graphic design had been pirated on the official portal for reporting illegal content, known as Pharos. The page used by the perpetrator(s) of the attempted online scam had been modified to include additional features. However, there were no links leading to the newspaper’s actual website. Consequently, the JSB’s data was not compromised.
For anyone who may have been careless enough to click on the links provided by the scammers, it is recommended that you report the incident through the THESEE system (www.masecurite.interieur.gouv.fr).
The prefecture is also urging the public to exercise “the utmost caution” by not clicking on any links in these suspicious posts, by not sharing your bank or personal information “under any circumstances,” and by informing your loved ones— especially the most vulnerable, about this scam.