French authorities have arrested nine individuals, including two Louvre Museum employees, in connection with a ticket fraud scheme suspected to have generated up to €10 million.
Investigations revealed a well-organized network involving museum insiders and tour guides, who allegedly reused the same tickets for multiple visitors, primarily tour groups from China.
“Based on the information available, we suspect the existence of a network orchestrating large-scale fraud,” said a Louvre spokesperson to Agence France-Presse.
The Louvre, the world’s most visited museum, reported the suspected fraud to police, leading to the arrests. Among those detained are two museum staff, several tour guides, and a suspected main organizer, according to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office.
This ticket scam follows a recent string of crises at the museum, including the October 19, 2025 theft of the French crown jewels, valued at approximately €88 million, stolen in just seven minutes by a gang using scooters. Four suspects were arrested, though the jewels remain missing, The Guardian reported.
Last Friday, the Denon Gallery, home to the museum’s most valuable paintings, partially closed due to a water leak. The Mona Lisa was unaffected, but the leak affected works by Charles Meynier and Bernardino Luini. This marks the second significant water incident in less than three months.
The Louvre has noted a rise in various ticket frauds and has launched a structured anti-fraud plan in collaboration with staff and police.
Le Parisien reported that the alleged scheme involved guides targeting tour groups from China, reusing tickets for multiple visitors. Investigators are assessing whether this network affected up to 20 tour groups per day over the past decade.
The Paris Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that surveillance and wiretaps showed repeated ticket use and a deliberate strategy to split tourist groups to avoid mandatory guide fees. Investigators also found suspected accomplices within the Louvre, where guides were allegedly paid cash to bypass ticket controls.
A formal judicial investigation opened in June 2025 on charges of organized fraud, money laundering, corruption, aiding illegal entry, and falsifying administrative documents.
According to Associated Press, the suspects reportedly invested part of the funds in real estate in France and Dubai. Authorities have seized over €957,000 in cash, including €67,000 in foreign currency, and €486,000 from bank accounts.
In recent months, Louvre unions have staged several strikes, demanding urgent renovations, staff increases, and protesting ticket price hikes for non-EU visitors, including tourists from the UK, USA, and China.
