Frenchman appeals to two thieves who used their stolen credit card to buy a scratch won by jackpot to go out by promising to split the 500,000 euro award (£ 413,664) with them.
Presenting it as Jean-David is, the man told RTL radio that since the money would otherwise be seized by the authorities, he was looking to make a deal with the thieves.
“Without me, they would not win, but without them I would not buy this ticket. I want to offer them to share the profits,” the Toulouse resident said.
So far, no one has introduced themselves with the winning ticket, which is blocked by Française des Jeux (FDJ), an operator of the French National Lottery, according to Jean-David.
Jean-David found that his backpack containing his portfolio was stolen from his car parked in Central Toulouse on February 3.
After calling his bank to block his credit card, he discovered that € 52.50 (€ 43.47) was spent by contactless payment at Tabac Des Thermes, a nearby corner store. Jean-David went to the store to see if the staff had seen something suspicious or whether any of his belongings had been abandoned in the store.
“My client talks with the cashier and found that two men who seem to be homeless, use his credit card to buy cigarettes and several scratches cards,” Jean-David's lawyer, Pierre Debuyson, told the BBC.
The two men told the cashier that they had won the 500,000 euro jackpot on one of the cards and that they plan to go to FDJ to ask for their profits.
The cashier found the behavior of the two men suspicious, as they failed to enter the PIN number on one of the cards they tried to make the purchase, according to Jean-David.
After talking to the cashier, Jean-David contacted the local police, which in turn reached for FDJ to alert the game company.
Now the police will probably take the profits and if the thieves approach the FDJ themselves, they will probably be arrested, according to Jean-David.
The winners of the Scratch Card have 30 days from the date of purchase to request their profits, and for Jean-David and his incredible associates, the deadline is quickly approaching.
His lawyer, G -n Debuisson, offered an amnesty: “My client was very happy that his credit card was stolen in these circumstances and therefore he did not want to pursue. It is also a miraculous opportunity for these two men to build a new life for themselves.”
“Unless they contact my lawyer, the ticket is unusable. So why not settle in friendly and make fifty-fifty?”, The 40-year-old Jean-David told RTL.
“I am ready to reach an agreement for this amount,” he added, explaining that he would use his share of profits – 250,000 euros (206,988 British pounds) – to help pay his mortgage.
FDJ and Toulouse police have addressed a comment.