Six charged over major parcel delivery scam in France

Six people have been charged in connection with a parcel delivery scam in France, in a fraud that has been estimated to be worth as much as €30 million.

Dubbed ‘Zulon’ by investigating officers, the scam has affected companies including DIY retailer Leroy Merlin (€1.6 million), and even retail giant Amazon (€254,000), reports La Dépêche.

One source close to the case said that the amount defrauded could have reached €30 million between 2021 and 2025.

The alleged scammers were indicted on March 5 “for organised fraud, organised money laundering, and administration of a platform enabling organised illicit transactions”, stated the public prosecutor's office. Three were placed in pre-trial detention, and three were placed under judicial supervision.

An investigation has now been opened by the public prosecutor's cybercrime unit, overseen by the judicial police of Versailles (Yvelines).

False returns

The indictments come after postal service La Poste made a formal complaint on March 19, 2024, in connection with “false parcel returns declared by a postman on behalf of several customers”.

These “declarations” led to major retailers refunding orders that were never returned.

The ‘postman’ in question turned out to be part of the scam network. There was also a Telegram ‘loop’ maintained by members of the group (Telegram is similar to a text messaging platform or the messaging app WhatsApp, except it is 100% encrypted and often favoured by criminals to communicate).

The suspected manager of the scheme, and administrator of the Telegram loop that helped to coordinate the scams was indicted in February. 

He is said to be French, in his 20s, and normally a resident of Dubai. He was arrested when he came back to France to visit his family.

Another imprisoned is said to be a Parisian lawyer.

Parcel delivery scams

The case comes amid a rising number of parcel delivery-related scams in France in recent years.

One common scheme includes people receiving text messages saying that their parcel does not fit into their letterbox and that they need to pay for redelivery.

Read more: New scam alert in France over ‘Your parcel has been sent’ texts 
Read also: Scam alert in France: 'Parcel does not fit into your letterbox' 
Read more: Watch out for scam texts over parcel delivery fees in France 

Another type of scam sends texts to recipients telling them that their parcel is “stuck at the depot”, or subject to “customs charges”, and that a fee is needed to release it.

The scams are designed to steal recipient’s financial details.