French Lottery Thieves Win €500,000—But Vanish Before Cashing In

The headquarters of the Francaise des Jeux (FDJ), the operator of France’s national lottery games is pictured in Boulogne-Billancourt, outside Paris

A pair of thieves who used a stolen bank card to buy a winning French lottery ticket worth €500,000 ($523,000) have disappeared, making them France’s most unexpected fugitives.

The man whose card was stolen, Jean-David E., is now offering to split the winnings with the mystery winners—if they return his wallet.

As of Saturday, the French lottery operator La Française des Jeux (FDJ) confirmed that no one had come forward to claim the prize.

“It’s an incredible story, but it’s all true,” Jean-David’s lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, told the Associated Press.

Jean-David realized his backpack had been stolen from his car in Toulouse earlier this month. When he contacted his bank to block his cards, he discovered one had already been used at a local shop.

At the shop, a vendor recalled seeing two homeless men use Jean-David’s card to buy a scratch-off ticket—unknowingly hitting the jackpot.

“They were so totally happy that they forgot their cigarettes and belongings and walked out like crazy people,” Debuisson said.

While Jean-David has filed a police report, he’s willing to drop the complaint if the winners come forward to split the money.

“Without them, no one would have won,” Jean-David said on France-2 TV.

However, prosecutors may argue that the winnings are illegally obtained gains, meaning the prize could be seized.

Debuisson has issued a national appeal to the unknown winners:

“You risk nothing … we will share with you. And you would be able to change your lives.”

But time is running out—the winning ticket will eventually expire.