Correz had until then appeared to be exempt from the phenomenon known as the Irish scam, common in motorway service areas.
Its principle is relatively simple: people, pretending to be tourists in distress who have lost all means of payment, ask for money in English and make sure they can pay it back thanks to a mobile phone application.
Late last week, on the eve of the great crossover between the months of July and August, the Correz Gendarmerie, the Road Safety Squadron and the Brive Research Brigade were able to arrest these types of crooks.
They also used the “little train” technique.
Two men of Irish citizenship were spotted at a Correz toll while trying to force their way through using the “little train” technique: clinging to the car in front to pass without paying.
During the inspection, it was found that fake license plates were attached to their vehicle. Through cross-checking, the gendarmes were able to establish that the two men were suspects in several Irish-style scams at rest stops on the French motorway network.
On Monday, August 1, 2022, both defendants appeared in Brive Court immediately. They were each sentenced to twelve months in prison and fined two thousand euros, adding to their heavy criminal records (at least twenty convictions) in Ireland.
This file serves as a reminder that it is not recommended to give money and/or personal information to strangers, including in motorway service areas.
“Fishing”, “ransomware”, false notifications … A special section of the gendarmerie in Korsay understands cases of cybercrime
Eric Dorr
Tv fanatic. Amateur food maven. Devoted webaholic. Travel lover. Entrepreneur. Evil writer. Beer guru.
