Man offers to split winnings after thieves win jackpot with his credit card
A Frenchman called on two thieves to step up using his stolen credit card to buy the award-winning card, and promised to allocate a bonus of €500,000 (£413,664) with them.
The man introduced himself as Jean-David E and told RTL Radio that he hopes to reach an agreement with the thief because the authorities otherwise would have caught the money.
“Without me, they wouldn’t win, but without them, I wouldn’t buy this ticket. I want to share the bonus for them.”
According to Jean-David, no one has stepped forward so far, and the ticket was blocked by Française Des Jeux, the operator of the French National Lottery.
Jean-David discovered that his backpack with a purse was stolen from a car parked in central Toulouse on February 3.
After calling his bank to block the credit card, he found that €52.50 (£43.47) was spent on contactless payments at Tabac des Thermes, a nearby corner store. Jean-David went to the store to see if the staff saw anything suspicious or if any of his items were abandoned in the store.
Jean-David’s attorney Pierre Debuisson told the BBC that my client spoke to the cashier and found two people who seemed homeless bought with credit cards Cigarettes and a few scratch cards. ”
The two told the cashier that they had won the €500,000 prize on one of the cards and that they were planning to go to FDJ to win the prize.
According to Jean-David, the cashier found the behavior of the two men to be suspicious because they could not enter the number of one pins of the card they were trying to buy with.
After talking to the cashier, Jean-David contacted the local police, who in turn contacted the FDJ to remind the game company.
According to Jean-Davide, police may now catch the bonus and if the thieves themselves approach the FDJ, they are likely to be arrested.
From the date of purchase, the scraper card winner has 30 days to win the prize, and for Jean-Davide and his collaborators, the deadline is approaching.
His lawyer, Mr. DeBuisson, filed an amnesty: “In this case, my client was glad his credit card was stolen and therefore did not want to sue. It was also a miraculous opportunity for both of them, You can build a new life for yourself.”
“Tickets are unavailable unless they contact my lawyer. So why not settle in a friendly manner, fifty-five?” Jean-David, 40, told RTL.
“I’m ready to reach an agreement for the sake of this money,” he added, explaining that he will use his share of the bonus (£206,988) to help pay off the mortgage.
FDJ and Toulouse police have been approached for comment.
