In brief
Jean-David E, a resident of Toulouse, has made headlines after he suggested splitting a €500,000 jackpot with the thieves who bought the winning scratch card using his stolen credit card. With the authorities poised to seize the winnings, he hopes to avoid legal complications while helping the thieves and himself.
In a peculiar turn of events, a Frenchman named Jean-David E has publicly asked the thieves who used his stolen credit card to buy a jackpot-winning scratch card to step forward, offering to share the €500,000 prize with them. The Toulouse resident revealed through RTL radio that he hopes to strike a deal as the prize is bound to be seized by authorities otherwise. "Without me, they would not have won, but without them, I would not have bought this ticket. I want to offer them to share the winnings," he explained.This incident revolves around a missing backpack from which Jean-David realized his wallet was stolen on February 3. Upon calling his bank to block the stolen credit card, he discovered that €52.50 (£43.47) had been spent at the Tabac des Thermes corner shop nearby. When he visited the shop to inquire about his belongings, the cashier informed him that two seemingly homeless men had used his card for their purchases, including scratch cards.Curiously, the men mentioned winning the €500,000 jackpot but raised suspicion as they failed to input the correct PIN for their card transaction. After conversing with the cashier, Jean-David sought police assistance, prompting them to notify the national lottery operator Française des Jeux (FDJ) about the suspicious activity.Currently, the winning ticket remains unclaimed and has been flagged by FDJ due to the police alert. Given the 30-day claiming deadline for scratch card wins, Jean-David is racing against time. His lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, proposed a non-confrontational solution, suggesting an amnesty for the thieves, highlighting this could be a chance for them to turn their lives around. Jean-David, expressing his willingness to amicably resolve the affair, announced, "Unless they contact my lawyer, the ticket is unusable. So why not settle amicably and do fifty-fifty?" He plans to use his share, around €250,000 (£206,988), to cover his mortgage costs. The FDJ and local police are currently evaluating the situation, but until the thieves come forward, the jackpot’s fate remains uncertain.
