Arrests made over alleged €10m Louvre ticket scam

French authorities have made arrests in connection with an alleged decade-long ticket fraud scheme at the Musée du Louvre that prosecutors estimate cost the museum €10 million. According to Paris prosecutors, nine people were arrested on 10 February 2026, including tour guides and two museum employees, and at least one suspect was placed in pre-trial detention on gang fraud charges. Investigators allege reused and counterfeit tickets were used to bring as many as 20 tourist groups per day into the museum over ten years; police said they seized €957,000 in cash and €486,000 from bank accounts, with some profits reportedly reinvested in Dubai. The investigation was disclosed on 13 February 2026, the same day the Louvre reported a water leak that damaged a 19th-century ceiling canvas in the Italian paintings gallery, amid ongoing strikes that have become the longest in the museum’s history.

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