Two conmen were able to cheat a casino in France out of €200,000 ($218,205) by utilizing a unique technique involving tiny hidden cameras and invisible earpieces. The two men, a 63-year-old from Ukraine and a 37-year-old from Latvia, were arrested in the northern suburbs of Paris after successfully carrying out their scam at various casinos across Europe.
Their method involved using tiny cameras attached to their phones to see the cards being pulled out of the shoe by the dealer. These cameras were strategically placed on the table and under their shirts, allowing them to capture the value of the cards and transmit the images to an accomplice waiting outside in a car. This accomplice would then provide instructions to the conmen through invisible earpieces, which could only be removed with a magnet.
The casino that fell victim to their scheme was Enghien-les-Bains, where the pair were caught while staying at the resort. Despite their arrest, their accomplice who was feeding them instructions remains at large. It is believed that they have been carrying out their cheating at casinos all over Europe, raking in tens of thousands of euros in a single night.
Authorities first learned of their scheme in June and began covertly surveilling the men as they continued their fraudulent activities at blackjack and poker tables. Stéphane Piallat, the head of France’s Central Service of Racing and Gaming, described their tactics as sophisticated and unlike anything he had seen before in Europe. He noted that the suspects were experts in gambling-related crimes and not typical criminals involved in drugs or other illicit activities.
While neither of the suspects had a prior criminal record, police found fake IDs and casino cards in their rooms during the search. They are currently being held in custody and will face charges for organized gang fraud. In response to this incident, authorities plan to warn casinos in the region and provide them with information on precautionary measures to prevent similar frauds from occurring in the future.