Man offers to split winnings after thieves hit jackpot with his credit card

In an unusual turn of events, a man from France has made a surprising offer to two thieves who used his stolen credit card to buy a winning scratch card worth €500,000, which is approximately £413,664. The man, who introduced himself as Jean-David E, expressed his desire to split the winnings equally with the thieves. He explained that since the money would likely be taken by the authorities, he believes it would be fair to strike a deal with them. Jean-David, a resident of Toulouse, shared his story during an interview with RTL radio. The incident began on February 3 when Jean-David discovered that his backpack, containing his wallet, had been stolen from his car parked in central Toulouse. After realizing his credit card was missing, he promptly contacted his bank to block it. To his surprise, he found out that €52. 50, or about £43. 47, had already been spent using his card at a local shop called Tabac des Thermes. Intrigued by the situation, Jean-David decided to visit the shop to inquire if the staff had noticed anything suspicious or if any of his belongings had been left behind. Upon speaking with the cashier, Jean-David learned that two men, who appeared to be homeless, had used his credit card to purchase cigarettes and several scratch cards. The cashier mentioned that the two men claimed to have won the €500,000 jackpot from one of the scratch cards and were planning to visit the lottery company, Française des Jeux (FDJ), to claim their winnings. However, the cashier found their behavior suspicious, particularly because they were unable to enter the PIN number for one of the cards they attempted to use. After this conversation, Jean-David decided to contact the local police, who then reached out to the FDJ to alert them about the situation. As a result, the police are now likely to seize the winnings, and if the thieves attempt to claim the money themselves, they could face arrest. According to the rules, scratch card winners have 30 days from the date of purchase to claim their prizes, and the deadline is approaching quickly for Jean-David and the two men. Jean-David's lawyer, Mr. Debuisson, proposed an interesting solution, suggesting an amnesty for the thieves. He stated, 'My client was very happy to have his credit card stolen in these circumstances and is not looking to prosecute. ' Jean-David himself added, 'Unless they contact my lawyer, the ticket is unusable. So why not settle amicably and do fifty-fifty? ' He expressed his willingness to share the winnings, explaining that he would use his share of €250,000, which is about £206,988, to help pay off his mortgage. The FDJ and the Toulouse police have been approached for comments regarding this unusual case.