Nine Arrested in €10 Million Ticketing Fraud Investigation at Louvre Museum

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French police have detained nine individuals, including museum staff and tour guides, in connection with a suspected decade-long ticketing fraud scheme that may have cost the Louvre at least €10 million (US$11.8 million) in lost revenue.

Paris prosecutors allege a fraud network repeatedly reused single-entry tickets to admit groups of visitors without paying the necessary fees, with some guides potentially admitting up to 20 groups per day in this way. 

A Louvre spokesperson said, 

Based on the information available to the museum, we suspect the existence of a network organising large-scale fraud.

After noting the frequent visits of two tour guides, the museum alerted investigators in December 2024 of groups of Chinese tourists being brought in with reused tickets. An investigation was launched in June 2025. Surveillance and wiretapping then helped expose a network that reused tickets and split tour groups to avoid paying higher fees.

Two Louvre employees were among those detained, with evidence suggesting some Louvre staff had been bribed to overlook the fraudulent admissions. Investigators have seized nearly €1 million (US$1.18 million) in cash and about €500,000 (US$592,000) from bank accounts tied to the suspects, and have indicated some proceeds may have been funnelled into real estate investments in France and abroad.

Nine have been charged with organized fraud, use of forged documents, aiding the entry and movement of a foreigner within an organized gang, active corruption, aggravated money laundering, and participation in a criminal association. Eight have been freed under judicial supervision while one remains in custody.

There are indications of similar instances of ticket fraud at the Palace of Versailles, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.

The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, has said it has tightened anti-fraud measures following escalating rates of ticketing fraud. The museum has also experienced several high-profile security challenges in recent months, including the theft of the French Crown Jewels in October 2025, worth an estimated €88 million (US$104 million). Only the damaged crown of Empress Eugenie has been recovered at the time of writing.