Two individuals have been apprehended for orchestrating a scheme that preyed on elderly people In France, deceiving them into paying substantial amounts for unnecessary bedbug treatments.
The suspects, based in Strasbourg, conducted fraudulent control services at the victims’ homes, exaggerating the severity of bedbug infestations and subsequently overcharging for treatment supplies.
Shockingly, the victims, comprising mainly women over the age of 90, totaled 48 individuals.
Bedbug infestations have been on the rise in France in recent months, prompting government officials to address the issue urgently.
However, this surge has also given rise to false sightings and unnecessary panic, as cautioned by entomologists and health experts.
The alleged scammers employed a tactic involving phone calls to their victims, falsely claiming a neighborhood infestation.
Posing as health officials, they visited the victims’ homes, purportedly fumigating the area with aerosol sprays.
To further deceive, they offered an ointment, claiming it would repel bugs from human skin. In reality, this ointment was a simple eucalyptus-scented cream.
The victims were charged exorbitant amounts ranging from €300 to €2,100 (£257 to £1,800).
The police, having received nine formal complaints of suspected fraud, initiated surveillance on the suspects.
The arrest took place as the individuals exited the home of a purported victim in Strasbourg.
The escalating bedbug issue in Paris has raised concerns about its potential spread to London.
In a statement to PoliticsJOE in October, London Mayor Sadiq Khan expressed genuine worry about the threat to the capital’s public transport system.
He revealed his communication with Parisian counterparts and Transport For London officials to prevent a similar problem from arising in London.
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