Beware of the "wash wash" counterfeit money scam

This payment scam, known as the wash wash or "black ticket scam", was used by crooks around ten years ago. However, this scam has been making a comeback in recent months and has already claimed a number of victims in France, particularly in the Loiret region. The principle of this scam is to fool buyers into thinking that black notes can be cleaned.

A scam involving counterfeit notes covered in black

This scam, known as "wash-wash", continues to claim many victims. It requires so few technical resources to set up that it may seem unrealistic and difficult to fall into the trap. The principle of this scam is very simple. The swindler simply reconstitutes counterfeit notes, sometimes using a simple piece of paper the size of a banknote, then covers it in black. The swindler will then seek out a potential buyer and sell them the counterfeit notes at the time of payment.

To do this, the swindler tries to convince the potential buyer by explaining that the notes are 50 euros and that they have been blackened so that they can cross borders. The buyer appears sceptical, but the swindler shows that he can make the buyer trust him by offering a miracle product that he has to remove the blackness from the notes. To prove his bona fides, the swindler pretended to work for a minister in the Congo and demonstrated his product to remove the black, this time using a real banknote. The buyer is then confident and falls into the trap of this scam.

A house in Loiret bought with counterfeit money

This scam, which was already rife a decade ago, has continued to claim new victims over the last few months. This is particularly true in the Loiret region, where the alarm was raised by two residents of the village of Amilly. They wanted to sell their house and began their search for a buyer. In February 2021, the two residents of the Loiret village were contacted by a potential buyer who said he was very interested in the house.

The seller then made an offer to the couple, but insisted that he preferred to pay cash for part of the price of the house, which was listed at 230,000 euros. The buyer justified this by explaining that it would allow him to avoid paying excessive notary fees. The couple had no problem with this. They had no idea of the scam they were about to fall victim to.

Three crooks found

In fact, the couple did not think they were the victims of an attempted 'wash'. However, in this case, one of the people in the sales couple works in a print shop in the town and had heard of a similar story a few days earlier. It involved a man who came into the print shop to have black paper cut to the size of banknotes. The saleswoman had her first doubts, and it was only when the potential buyer asked the couple to pay him €50,000 and then €10,000 for the miracle product that they realised the scam.

They were quick to inform the Orléans judicial police, who were able to trace the man and two other accomplices during the investigation. The swindlers were remanded in custody on Thursday 6 May and were brought to trial on Friday 7 May. During the investigation, blackened sheets of paper were discovered in the home of the fraudsters.

Secure your payments between private individuals with Obvy

This type of scam is widespread in the Paris region, so it's vital to be on your guard when making transactions between private individuals. To avoid any scams when buying or selling between private individuals, use Obvy, the secure payment method for private individuals and professionals.

Obvy guarantees protection against all payment scams, for transactions from 1 euro up to 200,000 euros, in person and on delivery. Obvy keeps the money safe for the duration of the transaction for optimum security.