French scammers in Toulon tricked elderly people with expensive wine

A man and three accomplices were convicted in Toulon for a wine scam targeting elderly individuals in France and Belgium. They sold inexpensive wine at high prices, posing as vineyard owners. The scam, active since 2018, involved aggressive telephone sales, netting at least 300,000 euros annually. The fraudsters, using a call center in Morocco, targeted potential victims with age and location criteria. They purchased low-cost wine, reselling it at significantly inflated prices. The operation involved a delivery company and resulted in hundreds of victims, with individual losses ranging from hundreds to thousands of euros. The trial, held in 2025, resulted in prison sentences for the main perpetrators. The leader received four years, with half suspended, and a fine. His accomplice received a suspended two-year sentence. Both are banned from managing businesses, and other accomplices received lesser sentences.