French police have arrested 9 people on suspicion of a massive Louvre Museum ticket scam scheme
Paris — Nine people have been arrested as part of an investigation into a suspected ten-year scam worth 10 million euros ($11.8 million) in Louvre Museum tickets, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Thursday. The most visited museum in the world.
The arrests took place on Tuesday as part of a judicial investigation opened after the Louvre Museum filed a complaint in December 2024, the Public Prosecutor’s Office said.
She added that the museum’s losses over the past decade are estimated at more than 10 million euros ($11.8 million).
Those detained include two Louvre employees, several tour guides and a person suspected of being the mastermind, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The museum alerted investigators to the frequent presence of two Chinese tour guides suspected of bringing groups of Chinese tourists to the museum by fraudulently reusing the same tickets multiple times for different visitors. Other guides were later suspected of similar practices.
The prosecutor’s office said surveillance and wiretaps confirmed frequent reuse of tickets and an apparent strategy to divide tour groups to avoid paying the required “talking fees” imposed on guides. The investigation also pointed to the presence of suspected accomplices inside the Louvre Museum, where guides were allegedly paid money to avoid ticket checks.
A formal judicial investigation was opened in June last year on charges including organized fraud, money laundering, corruption, aiding illegal entry into the country as part of an organized group and using forged administrative documents.
Investigators believe the network may have brought in as many as 20 tour groups a day over the past decade.
The suspects are believed to have invested some of the money in real estate in France and Dubai. Authorities confiscated more than 957,000 euros ($1.13 million) in cash, including 67,000 euros ($79,459) in foreign currency, as well as 486,000 euros ($576,374) from bank accounts.
The prosecutor’s office stated that a similar fraud was also suspected at the Palace of Versailles, without providing further details.
In October, Stealing the Crown Jewels The Louvre Museum drew the world’s attention to the museum after a team of four people broke into a window during visiting hours and escaped with treasures worth an estimated 88 million euros ($104 million). authorities Several suspects have been arrested In this case, however, the stolen items remain missing.
