Eiffel Tower: group that scammed tourists is arrested – 06/27/2023 – Tourism

French police this week arrested 22 members of a Romanian criminal group that swindled tourists to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. With the scams, the gang profited more than 1 million euros a year, according to judicial sources.

The suspects were detained and placed in custody at the offices of the Central Service for Racing and Games and the Subdirectorate for Combating Irregular Immigration, both involved in the investigations. The leader of the network, based in Romania, managed to escape, but his companion, considered his “lieutenant”, was detained.

The network is suspected of deceiving tourists in the vicinity of the Champ de Mars, in Paris, with the game of “bonnetau”. Scammers promised victims the ability to earn easy money by finding a ball under a cup. But in reality, the only winners were the accomplices of the one who manipulated the cups. They pretended to be fake players and encourage tourists to bet more and more money.

The group was able to set up up to 20 tables on the streets, with daily earnings of up to 3,000 euros per table.

The judicial police got to the scammers thanks to information given by the Romanian police in 2022.

Although “small operators” of these networks have already been arrested, the last police action allowed the capture of “chiefs” and revealed an “organized criminal group”, according to a source close to the case.