A couple in France has been sentenced after being found guilty of scamming holidaymakers who were looking for a place to stay in Dordogne or the Côte d’Azur.
On October 19, the correctional tribunal of Périgueux found the couple guilty of scamming 16 victims for a total of €43,647, between the years 2015-2016. They used online rental sites such as Abritel to list properties that did not actually exist for rent.
A complaint dating back to 2015 began the case against them. An American woman from New York was planning a trip to the Côte d’Azur to attend the Cannes film festival. She booked the couple’s apparent holiday home after receiving a special offer.
But when she showed up at the apartment’s address, which was supposedly on Avenue de la Croisette, she realised that the property did not exist, and she had been scammed. She reported the incident to police, who eventually traced the booking back to the couple.
The couple would use sites such as Abritel to list scam properties. Photo credit: Abritel
The pair, in their 40s, are originally from Poland and live in Lalinde, a small village in Dordogne.
They did not look at each other while in the dock. The woman was condemned to one year in prison, of which eight months were suspended. The man was sentenced to 18 months in prison of which 14 were suspended. They were also ordered to refund the victims, with the sums ranging from €1,400 to €5,800.
The couple…
