A major ticketing fraud has been discovered at the Louvre in Paris. After the world reacted to the theft of precious jewels in October, another type of crime has come to light. Nine people have been arrested in connection with a scam that lasted almost ten years and may have cost the museum more than 10 million euros.
The investigation started in 2024 when two Chinese tour guides were suspected of reusing single-entry tickets to bring tourist groups into the museum for free. It is believed that some Louvre employees were bribed to ignore the situation. Reports suggest that up to 20 groups per day may have entered without valid tickets over a period of ten years.
Louvre staff noticed suspicious behavior in the summer of 2024 and informed the police. Among those arrested are tour guides, two museum employees, and a suspected leader of the group. Police also seized around one million dollars in cash and additional funds from bank accounts linked to the suspects.
Investigators are now examining similar possible fraud at the Palace of Versailles.
Vocabulary:
• fraud (noun): dishonest activity to get money illegally
• scam (noun): a dishonest plan to cheat people
• alleged (adj): said to be true but not yet proven
• bribed (verb): gave money to someone to do something illegal
• turn a blind eye (expression): to ignore something wrong
• ringleader (noun): the main person who leads a criminal group
• seized (verb): took something by force or by law
• linked (adj): connected to something
• suspicious (adj): making you think something is wrong
• investigation (noun): official search for facts about a crime
• ticketing (noun): related to selling tickets
• breach (noun): a failure to follow rules or security