a fake EDF agent sentenced to four years in prison for fraud

A fake EDF agent was sentenced to four years in prison after defrauding several elderly people in Marseille. The damage is estimated at 12,000 euros.

A fake EDF agent, arrested this Monday, December 16, was sentenced this Wednesday, December 18 to four years in prison, three of which were closed after having defrauded several people in Marseille.

A well-established operating procedure in the 9th, 10th and 11th arrondissements of the Marseille city. The criminal rang the doorbell and pretended to be an EDF agent, claiming to be working on the pipes and air vents.

At the end of these false services, the former chimney sweep asked his victims for payment by bank card. They thought they were dialing their code on a terminal, but it was actually a telephone keypad.

Nearly 12,000 euros in damage

“He put us at ease. But, a few hours later, I realized that he had stolen 1,000 euros from me,” says an octogenarian.

The 41-year-old scammer generally demanded between 30 and 50 euros. According to the police, these are deliberately low sums so as not to attract suspicion.

But, after this first payment, the 41-year-old scammer diverted the attention of his victims. He asked them to go get documents in another room to “allow him to steal the credit card, provided with the code”. These victims all have one thing in common: their advanced age.

“We have identified ten victims with damage of around 12,000 euros on bank cards,” explains Major Patrica, assigned to the territorial crime division of SD 13.

The suspect had already been convicted for similar offenses in 2016 and received a prison sentence of three years.