The police have been warning for several days about a new scam imagined by pickpockets to divert the attention of passers-by in the middle of the street. The “pigeon droppings” scam has already claimed several victims…
Pigeons abound in certain towns in France, becoming, for several municipalities, an issue of nuisance, cleanliness and even public health. Now they are also indirectly becoming a problem for the police. The National Police of Drôme alerted Wednesday on its Twitter account to a new scam imagined by pickpockets to act in the middle of the street, diverting the attention of their victims. The process, which has everything of a nasty joke, contrasts with the methods now known to the profession.
The pickpocket or an accomplice will first spray his target with a product resembling in all respects pigeon droppings, then wait for it to realize that it has been the target of the bird. When the victim begins to squirm in an attempt to clean himself up, a good Samaritan offers to help. This is where wallets, smartphones or jewelry usually go.
If mistrust is now the order of the day in public transport or in crowded places, this scam, which takes place in the middle of the street and often in broad daylight, is so surprising that many passers-by, generally elderly people, have fallen into the trap. According to the Dauphiné Libéré, RMC or even RTL, several flights have already taken place in Valence in the Drôme, but also in the Hérault, in the Ain, or further north in the department of Oise.
In Valence, according to Le Dauphiné, an 84-year-old retiree allegedly had a Cartier necklace stolen worth 4,000 euros at the start of the school year. RMC reports for its part the arrest of two individuals in Soissons, caught in the act when they sprayed a victim with a fake droppings using a syringe.