only 85 complaints of counterfeit tickets out of ten million tickets sold

A network run from Cameroon was dismantled for a total loss of 15,000 to 20,000 euros. But in the end there was very little fraud involving Olympic tickets.

This was one of the fears for these Paris 2024 Games: that fraud involving fake entry tickets would partly spoil the party for spectators. But, and this is good news, there are ultimately very few scams. With only 85 complaints for fake tickets, this is a drop in the ocean of scams in an ocean of official tickets, of which more than ten million have been sold.

These rare frauds are followed by a task force specially created within the judicial police, with around fifteen police officers and gendarmes. The structure is headed by Magali Caillat, deputy director of the fight against financial crime, with in particular in its sights a scam which triggered around forty complaints.

“The victims of these ticket purchases to attend events were hooked by a Facebook loop”says the policewoman. They were offered “relatively competitive rates, but still 150 euros per seat” For “tickets for horse riding events in Versailles”. Magali Caillat continues: “The tickets had all been purchased in April and, when we investigated, we saw that the accounts to which the money was going belonged to the same people.”

The amount of the damage is between 15,000 and 20,000 euros. Four suspects, arrested in the Paris region, will be tried in December. This network is run from Cameroon, but organized crime has ultimately invested very little in the counterfeit bill market. The judicial police remind us of the golden rule to avoid being trapped: “no paper space”The only sesame that is worth it is a QR code on the official application.