A well-known, but devilishly effective procedure. And unfortunately it still works with vulnerable elderly people ... Two criminals in their thirties were arrested on Monday by investigators from the departmental security of the North after having thus abused dozens of elderly people throughout the north of France.
At the end of 2019, the Lille police officers were informed of numerous complaints: each time the scenario was the same. Two men, dressed as Enedis agents, claim to be there to read the meters, invent an alleged breakdown in the neighborhood to enter the home of retirees.
Once in the house, they try to obtain the bank card codes of the victims before stealing them. "They even created a fake card box to force people to enter their code," said a relative of the investigation. In general, they claimed to have to give money back to their victim because of an overpayment, but everything was invented. "
"Systematically request a professional card"
Departmental security investigators also quickly realized that the victims were not only in the Lille basin. Thanks to the modus operandi of the criminals, they manage to trace their journey, and discover a total of fifty victims. If the damage is difficult to assess at the moment, there are "49 thefts of bank cards, and sometimes thefts of objects, jewelry or cash from the victims", explains a person familiar with the matter.
Monday, the Lille police mounted an operation and arrested the two suspects, installed in the north of France. Their two companions are also arrested, suspected of having helped the criminals to dispose of the stolen objects from the victims. They were finally released for lack of evidence. The two men are to be tried immediately in Lille. "This is an emblematic case of a delinquency that affects the elderly, says a source close to the investigation. Even if the trick is known, it is necessary to repeat to people to be wary and to systematically request a professional card when agents present themselves at their home. "