Le Figaro Marseille
On the other end of the line, Raymond easily rewinds the events that led him to lose more than a thousand euros.
“My wife and I had heard about this association through a friend who was able to go on vacation thanks to her help.
Last May, we bought a stay at Disneyland with two nights for us and our two boys
,” he recalls to Le
Figaro
.
The cost of the trip amounts to 1047 euros, excluding train tickets payable by the couple, who send a first transfer to the association's RIB.
“We received an invoice, which seemed reassuring.
Three months later, we issued a second transfer
,” continues Raymond, who at the same time pays for train tickets worth 250 euros.
“Two days before the trip, we had no news from the president of the association.
After restarting it, the lady simply told us that her son was hospitalized.
The day before departure, she finally called us to tell us that the operator could no longer honor our stay
,” he explains.
The couple, who had to take the train at 5 a.m., will never see the color of Disneyland or that of their money.
“I was told that we would be reimbursed, but the money did not arrive,”
regrets Raymond, who discovered that many households had also found themselves in his situation.
In total, around thirty families now say they are victims of a vast travel scam allegedly set up by the Marseille association Grand Cœur.
It ranges from 600 to 5000 euros.
Some were leaving for a camping trip, others for trips to Bali or even New York.
Raymond, victim of the alleged scam
For many months, several complaints have been filed with the courts by couples or single-parent families relieved of several hundred or even thousands of euros, after having used the services of Grand Cœur to organize their vacations.
The victims, all from very modest backgrounds, would have advanced the sums requested by the association in complete confidence and have not seen a single cent since.
“We were fooled”
“I was questioned about this by a lady who explained to me that she had been robbed. I was added to a WhatsApp group, in which several people were complaining about being scammed by one and the same person. I realized that an association had stolen from everyone in the sector
,” explains Sébastien Delogu, LFI deputy for Bouches-du-Rhône, to
Figaro
.
“Some have been waiting for their money for six months, others for a year.
They had contacted the institutions and filed a complaint, but had not heard back.
I took the decision to warn the public prosecutor of Marseille via article 40 of the code of criminal procedure
,” he adds.
The alleged victims of the scheme, attracted by the prospect of going on vacation at a reduced price, sometimes opted for expensive and distant trips offered by the association, which took care of the reservations.
“It ranges from 600 to 5000 euros.
Some were going for a camping trip, others for trips to Bali or even New York
,” summarizes Raymond.
“The president of the association even offered to postpone our trip, which we refused.
It was hard for both of our boys to come back to school after that.
We trusted him, and we were fooled
,” he says.
In total, 45,000 euros could have been embezzled by the association.
On board this structure known for working in the social sector for almost eleven years: a single woman single-handedly managing all activities and travel packages.
The president of the association defends herself
Contacted by
Le Figaro
, the president of Grand Cœur defended herself against any scam, citing health problems and
“negligence”
which would have led her to
“get confused”
and
“forget to validate certain stays”
.
“I always informed families when stays were canceled.
I have to take care of the association and my health problems.
I got confused everywhere
,” she argues.
“I am ready to repay, but there are 25 of them asking me.
I have to manage everything on my own
,” she continues, apologizing and swearing that she has started the repayments.
“Every time it’s a different story. And as soon as we contact her, she blocks us
,” complains Raymond, who is surprised that such a scheme could have continued under the noses of the authorities.
A fact which is not insignificant: the president of Grand Cœur, visibly active for around ten years and well known to the Marseillais for her alleged generosity, had even been elected to the board of directors of 13 Habitat in October 2023. The lessor social, one of the largest in Bouches-du-Rhône, even provided premises at a reduced price to the association.
Since the affair broke out, the president of Grand Cœur has been removed from the board of directors of the social landlord, and a complaint will be filed against her.
“This woman demanded enormous sums of money from poor people, making them dream and lying to them.
It’s very serious
,” says Nora Preziosi, president of 13 Habitat.
“She used my name, explaining that she was my collaborator.
I will be careful that this does not happen again
,” she pleads.
For her part, the president of Grand Cœur denounces
“relentlessness”
.
“I’m not running away from the exchange, I admit it: I made a mistake
,” she says.
“It’s a scam.
She cannot hide behind a “confessed, half-forgiven fault”.
I don’t know if she herself realizes the harm caused
,” sighs Raymond.