If you see a ticket like this on your windshield, don't fall for it, as it could end up costing you! / © Romain Van Dyck
€50 slipped under your windshield wiper? It may be tempting to pocket it, but French police have been warning about this scam for quite some time.
This ruse is simple: Thugs place the bank notes in such a way that the motorist will most likely only notice after getting behind the wheel of their vehicle. The driver will then, logically, exit the vehicle to check the bank note.
The thief, meanwhile, is hidden not too far away from the car — around the back, for example — and, if he sees an opportunity to enter the car with the engine running, will jump behind the wheel. Attacking or fending off the owner is very likely.
Faced with the resurgence of this scam, the Haute-Garonne National Police launched an awareness campaign called "An expensive ticket paid" on social networks.
Police advise drivers not to hesitate to call the police if a suspicious individual is nearby, and to not enter the car unless you are sure it is safe to do so.
On the other hand, if you are already behind the wheel, their advice is simple: Drive away and collect the bank note a few hundred metres away. There is a good chance it is a fake one, but if it is real, that's certainly yours to keep.
