“We definitely live in a world of scams”: she thinks she bought a Crit'Air sticker and ends up subscribed to a monthly service

Since January 1, 2025, the Crit’Air sticker is now mandatory for driving in ZFE (Low Emission Zones). But this new standard leaves room for online scams.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

In order to enter and drive in ZFEs, you must now have a Crit’Air sticker, which varies depending on your vehicle. To obtain it, you must buy it online, on the government website www.certificat-air.gouv.fr. Although it only costs a few euros, some French people find themselves victims of certain online “scams”, reports Ouest France.

“I am not a professional”

If you take the government address, you can actually pay 3 euros and thus have a Crit'Air sticker. But when you do a Google search, several other sites, called “sponsored”, are at the top of the list because they pay to be placed that way.

But some people do not realize this, click, and subscribe to monthly services costing several dozen euros. This is the case of a reader of the Courrier de L’Ouest, quoted by the local daily.

“Since I am not a professional, I did not feel concerned. I did not pay attention and I ordered”, she explains. Indeed, this victim went to an English site which offers “a range of services specifically designed for used vehicle fleet managers, with a monthly fee of 39”. However, the site recommends “ordering the sticker on the site http://certificat-air.gouv.fr”, which does not allow fraud to be established properly.

“We definitely live in a world of scams”, the victim laments. It is therefore necessary to be extra vigilant and check that the site address has “. gouv.fr”, a guarantee of reliability.