Fourteen people were arrested this Wednesday near the Louvre Museum (Paris I) by investigators from the sub-directorate for the fight against irregular immigration (SDLLI) supported by police officers from the central Paris police station... Eight of between them, who all claim to be of Gabonese origin, were taken into custody.
The others, in an irregular situation on French territory, were placed in administrative detention.
The investigation began several months ago, with the observation of a curious carousel on the Carrousel noticed by the police and the management of the establishment.
A network of on the sly resale of user tickets has set up in the area and defrauds tourists wishing to admire the masterpieces kept in the galleries.
Members of the network collected, willingly or by force, paper or electronic tickets from visitors who had just completed their tour of the museum.
“Fraud is possible because tickets that are sold between 15 and 17 euros give access to places for the whole day”, specifies a source close to the case.
Tourists think of buying a skip the line
The QR code of the tickets was modified and then resold on the sly to tourists in the queue at prices higher than the official rate.
The victims who were tempted explain that they accepted because they thought they could benefit from skip-the-line tickets.
The suspects were monitored for several weeks.
"This team was made up only of illegal immigrants who had no other activities," said an investigator.
They were making their living from this single scam.
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The Louvre Museum welcomes more than eight million visitors a year and this case represents a significant shortfall for its long-term finances.
And like all tourist places, it is also frequented by criminals who prey on tourists.