Cross-Border Scam Unravels: Young Man Faces Trial in Foix for 200€ Moroccan Scheme

Lucas*, 21 years old, is answering for his actions before the justice system. The facts he is accused of date back to May 25th. A member of an obscure Telegram group, he is entrusted with a mission by a certain "Mouns Bis Koko", located in Morocco. The mission is to collect an envelope from a private individual, Jacques*, a resident of Montaut (Ariège), and deposit it at Le Mirail for 200 euros. He carries out the mission. While he had been instructed never to open the package, he opens the small parcel.

"Inside, a phone and three credit cards, including an American Express and one from Crédit Lyonnais, cut up," La Dépêche reports.

The day before, a so-called member of the fraud repression service would have called Jacques, claiming to have spotted suspicious movements on his bank account. The man suspects extortion, but ends up communicating his payment and phone codes to him during a video conference. He makes him believe that his account has been hacked, and that an agent will come the next day to collect his cut-up bank cards to prevent any further fraudulent manipulation.

With the cards in hand, Lucas receives a new mission, that of withdrawing cash. He then goes to Le Mirail. He withdraws 16,992 euros in eleven installments, in Pamiers and then Toulouse. "Mouns Bis Koko" orders him to place 14,900 euros in sports bets, and then deposit the rest in the Toulouse neighborhood. On May 26th, Jacques considers himself the victim of a scam and files a complaint for fraud and breach of trust. An investigation is opened.

Tried for fraud and breach of trust, Lucas claims he is not the author of the call. But the gendarmes will eventually identify a name thanks to his phone pings on the fateful day. On May 27th, Lucas shows up at the tobacco shop in downtown Toulouse to collect the betting results, 12,352 euros, with his own withdrawal card before, he claims, transferring the money to Morocco. The young man will be taken into custody. He admits the facts. However, he denies being the instigator of the operation and the fake fraud repression agent.

"There was a 200 euro mission offered. I lived 30 minutes from the address given. I just had to take the envelope to Le Mirail. I was going on that premise. [...] I owed money to my father," the defendant explained from the stand. A young man already convicted of gift card fraud in 2022. "At no point did the light go on?" a very annoyed magistrate questioned. "He had my identity, my address... I was under threat," Lucas only said.

"I don’t understand how he fell into the trap and devoted body and soul to an unknown individual, with an unpronounceable name. [...] How could he have been so reckless, and that’s an understatement," insisted prosecutor Olivier Mouysset, before requesting 6 months’ imprisonment with 18 months’ probation and an obligation to compensate the victim. Following almost the prosecutor’s requisition, the court sentenced Lucas to 6 months’ imprisonment with probation, with the obligation to repay the entire stolen amount, plus 1,000 euros in moral damages.

*pseudonym