-
‘Handiplages’ for disabled people in France: what they offer and where to find them
Certain French beaches provide specially-designed wheelchairs that can be used on sand and in water
-
France 2026 budget: will there be an année blanche and how could it affect you?
Prime minister is searching for €40 billion in savings from the upcoming budget, which could see tax bands frozen
-
France is one of five EU countries to test age-verification app for sensitive online content
The European Commission seeks to protect children from risks such as grooming, harmful content, addictive behaviours, and cyberbullying
Cannes restaurants lose thousands of euros to card machine scam
Fraudsters quickly swap the restaurant card machine for their own, meaning that future customer payments go straight into their account

Several restaurants in Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes) have lost tens of thousands of euros after falling victim to an unusual card machine scam operated by an organised gang.
The supposed customers arrive at the restaurant, sit down, eat their meal, and ask to pay by card.
When the card machine is brought over, one member of the gang distracts the waiter momentarily so that another, who is carrying a bag, can quickly swap the device for their own.
After that, every bill paid using that machine goes straight into the bank accounts of the scammers, rather than the restaurant.
Some seven restaurants have already experienced this with several lodging formal complaints
Alain Lahouti, president of the Syndicat des restaurateurs de Cannes, has called for vigilance in the town’s hospitality sector, urging staff not to let customers hold card machines if possible.
“It is possible that the scammers put the same asset label – the stickers which show that a machine belongs to a particular company – on the replacement card machine to prevent the establishment from noticing the change,” he told Nice Matin.
However, this sticker may look slightly strange or have a spelling mistake on it, so that is something to watch out for.
Related articles
French scam alert: False TotalEnergies petrol ‘loyalty card’ deal
Warning as France’s fraud hotline number is hit by… fraudsters