Lottery winner offers to share $400k jackpot with thieves who used his stolen credit card to buy the ticket.
This is one of those stories you don’t hear every day.
A man from the U.S. is offering to split a $400,000 lottery jackpot with the thieves who used his stolen credit card to buy the winning scratch-off ticket.
Jean-David E., from Toulouse, France, is trying to strike a deal with the two men who purchased the winning ticket at a local convenience store using his stolen credit card.
The strange incident began when Jean-David discovered his backpack, containing his wallet, had been stolen from his car. After calling his bank to block his credit card, he found out that $43.47 had been charged at a nearby corner store, Tabac des Thermes, through a contactless payment.
Jean-David went to the store to see if the staff had noticed anything unusual.
The cashier told him that two men had bought the scratch card earlier that day but were unable to enter the PIN for one of the cards they tried to use for the purchase.
After speaking with the cashier, Jean-David contacted local authorities, and the police reached out to the national lottery operator to report the fraud. The lottery ticket was blocked, and no one had come forward to claim the prize.
As things stand, the police are likely to seize the winnings, and if the thieves attempt to claim the prize, they may face arrest.
Lottery winners typically have 30 days to claim their prize, and for Jean-David and his unexpected partners, that deadline is quickly approaching.
According to reports, Jean-David’s lawyer suggested an amnesty: “My client is happy to have his credit card stolen under these circumstances and doesn’t want to press charges. This could be a chance for these two men to turn their lives around.”
Jean-David himself told French radio station RTL, “Unless they contact my lawyer, the ticket is unusable. So why not settle this amicably and split it 50-50?”
“Without me, they wouldn’t have won, but without them, I wouldn’t have bought the ticket. I’m offering to share the prize with them,” he added, explaining he’d use his share to help pay off his mortgage.
