Lottery chaos: Stolen card leads to $523,000 winnings, victim makes shocking offer

UPDATED: Feb 22, 2025 20:58 IST

Two thieves bought a winning French lottery ticket worth 500,000 euros ($523,000) using a stolen bank card. However, they vanished before claiming the prize, making them among France’s most wanted fugitives.

Jean-David E, the owner of the stolen card, has made an unusual proposal — he is willing to split the winnings with the thieves if they return his wallet.

The French lottery operator La Française des Jeux (FDJ) confirmed that as of Saturday, no one had submitted the winning ticket for redemption. The thieves, meanwhile, face the risk of arrest.

″It’s an incredible story, but it’s all true,″ Jean-David’s lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, told The Associated Press on Saturday.

The theft and lucky purchase

The story started when Jean-David realized his backpack was stolen from his car in the southern city of Toulouse. Upon realizing the theft, he immediately contacted his bank to block the card. However, he discovered that it had already been used in a local shop.

A local shopkeeper informed him that two apparently homeless men had used his card to buy a scratch-off lottery ticket. The lucky ticket turned out to be a jackpot winner. “They were so totally happy that they forgot their cigarettes and their belongings and walked out like crazy people,” Debuisson said.

Jean-David filed a police complaint about the theft, but is ready to withdraw it if the thieves come forward so that they can share the money, Debuisson said. ″Without them, no one would have won,″ Jean-David said on public broadcaster France-2.

The lawyer launched a national appeal on Thursday asking the perpetrators to contact his office to make a deal. “You risk nothing ... we will share with you,” he said. “And you would be able to change your lives.”