Tourists swindled: vast antigenic testing scam dismantled in Paris

The lure of profit has no limit. This Sunday, January 2, two men from Paris and Charenton-le-Pont (Val-de-Marne), aged about twenty, were arrested on the Champs-Elysées in front of their antigenic test stand which was totally illegal. Their goal ? Scam as many tourists as possible by doing Covid tests for the modest sum of … 100 euros. If the latter did not ask themselves the question in relation to this aberrant price, not knowing the laws in terms of health insurance in France, a local was not fooled by the deception.

So it was this Sunday around 7:30 p.m. that the scam was unveiled. A resident of Bezons, in Val-d’Oise, howled in the middle of the street when he discovered that two men were claiming 100 euros from his sister-in-law after giving her an antigen test. Faced with the inability of the two crooks to give an explanation, Italian tourists also demanded accountability, when they had just been ripped off. Dispatched there, the police asked for explanations from these two young people in white coats, equipped with all the necessary equipment.

Several organized networks are rife throughout France

After asking them for their authorization to carry out these screenings, the two protagonists obviously did not present any document. A cardboard box containing antigenic tests was seized by the police while the crooks were directly taken into police custody. At the same time, the victims present on the spot lodged a complaint for fraud with the police station of the 8th arrondissement in Paris. While several organized networks are rife throughout France, and in particular to issue fake health passes, an investigation was opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office for forgery and use of forgeries.

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