Be careful if you are in France and suddenly see a 50 euro note stuck behind your windshield wiper. Because it is very likely not your lucky day.
The Haute-Garonne police warn that this is a new, but also often used trick by car thieves. It goes like this: criminals put a (counterfeit) 50 euro note (or sometimes another object or piece of paper) behind the windshield wiper of a stationary vehicle. They hope that the driver will see the note when he gets behind the wheel and then gets out to grab the money note, while the key is still in the ignition. That’s when the thieves strike. They get into the car and speed away.
Initially, the phenomenon appeared in a few regions, but the technology is now widely used in France, reports the French channel ‘BFMTV’. Young motorists or older drivers in particular are targeted.
“These are professional crime groups,” says a police source at ‘Actu Toulouse’. “They scan an area and do their thing, quickly disappearing before they are spotted. The trick comes in waves, some seasons more than others. It will now happen more often when the weather improves.”
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Tags: trick euro note French police warn technology criminals France steal car