In short. A screenshot of an anonymous text message, on its own, is easy to challenge: it proves neither the real time, nor the originating number, nor the absence of tampering. For an anonymous message to be of any use to the police or a judge, you need to keep the original message on the phone, the full timestamp, the number or sender label exactly as displayed — and to act fast: technical traces held by the carrier have a limited lifespan.
Information verified on 18 October 2026 on the public pages of service-public.fr, Légifrance, the CNIL, the Arcep, cybermalveillance.gouv.fr and the 33700 service (AF2M). This article provides general information and is no substitute for filing a complaint or for a lawyer's advice.
Does a screenshot of a text message count as evidence?
Yes, but it carries little weight in isolation. Under French civil and criminal procedure, evidence is in principle unrestricted: a text message, a screenshot or a screen recording can all be submitted. But the judge is free to assess how much weight to give it, and an image without context remains just an image: an editable file, with no guarantee of origin or date.
What strengthens a screenshot is not its graphic quality, it is everything around it: the original message still present on the device, the consistency of the dates, the repetition of the messages, the fact that you reported it early, and the possibility for an investigator to make the findings himself on your phone.
Put another way: the screenshot serves to tell the story quickly to an officer or a lawyer. The phone is what proves it. Never destroy the latter because you have made the former.
What exactly should you keep when you receive an anonymous text?
Everything the screen displays, not just the text. An anonymous message always carries a sender label — an unknown mobile number, a 5- or 6-digit short code, or a name in letters — and that label tells you something about how it was sent. We covered these three formats in detail in our article on identifying the sender of an anonymous text message.
Here is what your file should contain:
- The full text of the message, uncorrected and unabridged, typos included.
- The sender label exactly as displayed, character by character (a
38followed by three digits is not the same thing as a number starting 06). - The complete date and time, minutes included. On both iPhone and Android, the detailed time appears if you press and hold the message bubble or swipe it to the left.
- The entire thread, including your own replies if there are any. A hand-picked extract will be used against you: the other side will produce the rest.
- Attachments (photo, link, vCard) without opening them if they look like a trap.
- The count, meaning the number of messages received and how frequently. Where harassment is concerned, repetition matters as much as content.
How do you capture it properly, without damaging the original?
Four rules, in this order.
- Delete nothing. Not the message, not the associated call log, not the "archived" conversation.
- Capture screen by screen, leaving the status bar visible (time, today's date) along with the conversation header showing the sender. A screenshot cropped down to the text bubble alone is worthless.
- Record a video while scrolling through the thread: it shows continuity, which a series of stills cannot. Screen recording is built into both iOS and Android.
- Get the files off the phone the same day, onto a computer or an offline storage device. A hardware-encrypted USB stick keeps the file safe from device loss or theft, and avoids depending on a cloud account you might lose access to.
For a case that stretches over weeks, many victims print the screenshots and file them by date. A ring binder with clear sleeves, dated on the cover, can be read far faster by an officer at the counter than a phone he has to scroll through. It is not a legal requirement, it is a convenience that saves time when you file your complaint.
Do the messages need to be certified by a commissaire de justice?
Not as a matter of course. In criminal matters it is rarely necessary: the investigator can inspect the messages on your device himself and add his findings to the file. You do not have to pay for a formal certification in order to file a complaint.
A certified record drawn up by a commissaire de justice (the single new title for bailiffs and judicial auctioneers since 1 July 2022) becomes useful in two situations:
- a civil dispute in which you will be told the screenshots are fabricated (divorce, employment tribunal, neighbour dispute, commercial litigation);
- content liable to disappear (an account being deleted, a disappearing message, a number being deactivated).
The service is chargeable and the fee is negotiated with the firm; ask for a quote first. Its value is not magical: it attests that on a given date, a given person saw given content on a given device. That is precisely what a screenshot lacks.
Can the courts trace the author of an anonymous text message?
Often yes — but only they can. No consumer service, no app, no "identification" website will lead back to the real sender of a message. That power belongs to the authorities, through a production order served on the carrier or on the provider that injected the message into the network.
The technical path is always the same. The text passes through a message centre (SMSC) which timestamps it and retains traffic data: who sent it, to whom, when, via which platform. If the message comes from an online sending service or an app, a user account, a connection IP address and sometimes a payment method are added to that. This is the chain investigators follow back.
Two decisive limits:
- The time factor. Connection data is not kept indefinitely. The French framework, set out in the Post and Electronic Communications Code and clarified by the Conseil d'État in 2021 following the Court of Justice of the European Union's La Quadrature du Net ruling, provides for one-year retention of civil identity data, with shorter periods for other categories. The longer you wait, the more the trail fades. File your complaint early.
- Foreign intermediaries. When the sending platform is hosted outside Europe, the request has to go through international cooperation, and the investigation drags on — or stops.
We looked at how far a text message's anonymity really survives an investigation in our article on whether an anonymous text message is untraceable.
Which offences allow you to file a complaint?
These, with the exact provisions to cite in your complaint:
| Situation | Provision | What you must establish |
|---|---|---|
| Repeated messages that degrade your living conditions | Moral harassment, art. 222-33-2-2 of the Criminal Code | The repetition and the harm to physical or mental health |
| Repeated malicious calls or messages | Art. 222-16 of the Criminal Code | The malicious and repeated nature, even without an explicit threat |
| Threat to kill or to damage property | Art. 222-17 and 222-18 of the Criminal Code | The content of the threat, its target, its plausibility |
| Identity theft (impersonating you or a third party) | Art. 226-4-1 of the Criminal Code | The use of the name or personal data, and the harm caused |
| Blackmail over the release of intimate images | Art. 226-2-1 of the Criminal Code | The existence of the image and the demand |
Two points that matter. First, anonymity is not in itself an offence: sending a message without showing your number is lawful in France, as we explain in our article on whether anonymous text messages are legal. It is the content and the repetition that constitute the offence. Second, a single message may be enough if it contains a threat: repetition is only required for harassment.
Where do you file a complaint, and with what?
Three routes:
- At a police station or gendarmerie, with your phone charged, your file printed out and your ID. Ask for the receipt and note the case report number.
- By post to the public prosecutor at the competent judicial court, by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt, enclosing copies — never originals.
- Online for digital offences, via the Ministry of the Interior's official reporting portal. A report is not always a complaint: check what you are actually filing.
Before filing, two free and useful reflexes: report the abusive message to 33700, the national service run by AF2M for unwanted text messages, and consult cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, which points you towards the right steps and to victim support organisations. 3018 handles minors and young adults who are victims of online abuse.
If the phone in question is your main line and the situation is settling in for the long haul, also read our guide on changing your number without losing everything: that decision needs preparing, not improvising in the middle of proceedings.
The mistakes that wreck a case
They are almost always the same ones.
- Replying. A reply, however curt, confirms the line is active and feeds the exchange. It can also give the sender information about you. Documented silence is worth more than hitting back.
- Blocking too soon. Blocking protects you but stops the messages arriving, and with them the evidence of repetition. If you are building a case, one approach is to let the messages arrive without reading them closely, and to capture them at regular intervals. Block once the file is complete, or if the situation becomes unbearable — your health comes before the procedure.
- "Cleaning up" the conversation. Deleting the most hurtful messages out of reflex deprives the investigation of the essentials.
- Editing a screenshot. Blurring, cropping, highlighting within the image: all of it shows, and casts doubt on the whole set. Annotate separately, in a standalone document.
- Investigating yourself. Looking the number up in reverse directories, posting the sender label on social media, naming and accusing someone: you risk a counter-complaint for defamation or invasion of privacy.
- Losing the device. One stolen or broken phone and the case file goes with it. A second, spare phone kept charged lets you carry on with daily life while the monitored line stays untouched. The same logic applies to backups: an encrypted external hard drive kept outside the home shields the file from a hardware mishap.
How do you keep a log of events that stands up?
By writing as things happen, not from memory. A credible log is continuous, factual and dated. The format is simple: one line per event, with the date, the time, the sender label, a neutral summary of the content, and the concrete effect on you (sleepless night, sick leave, medical appointment).
Three tips on form:
- No interpretation in the log. "I think it's X" has no place there: record the facts and save your suspicions for the interview.
- Back it up with external evidence: a medical certificate, a witness statement, a sick note. These are what turn messages into recognised harm.
- Write it on paper if you prefer. A sewn-binding notebook, filled in ink and never rewritten, sits perfectly well alongside a digital file. What matters is consistency, not the medium.
If the case grows, a lawyer is useful from the moment you file: some maisons de justice et du droit, along with the points-justice, offer free consultations. A reference book on victims' rights, in a recent edition, helps you get to grips with procedural vocabulary before that first appointment.
Frequently asked questions
Is a screenshot enough to file a complaint?
To file a complaint, yes: it allows you to set out the facts. To prove them, no: bring the phone containing the original messages, the full timestamp and, if possible, a dated log of events.
Can you find out who is sending a hidden-number text without going to the police?
No. No consumer service leads back to the real sender. Only the judicial authorities, through a production order served on the carrier or the sending platform, can obtain that information.
How long do carriers keep the traces?
Not indefinitely, and the periods differ by data category: the Post and Electronic Communications Code provides for one year for civil identity data, less for others. Act within days or weeks, not months.
Should you block the number before or after filing a complaint?
If you are building a harassment case, document the repetition first, then block. If the messages put you in danger or wear you down, block immediately: simply mention that date when you file your complaint.
Can an anonymous text sent from a web service be identified?
Often yes, by the courts: the platform retains an account, an IP address and sometimes a payment. The difficulty comes from services hosted outside Europe, which require international cooperation and draw the investigation out.
Updated on 18 October 2026. Procedures, retention periods and the provisions cited may change: check the information on service-public.fr and Légifrance before taking any steps.
