Two men have been arrested in France for allegedly scamming elderly people by charging them thousands of euros for unnecessary bedbug treatment. The men would visit the victims' homes, pretend to carry out control services, and then overcharge for treatment products. A total of 48 people, mostly women over 90, were scammed. Bedbug infestations have been on the rise in France, causing concern among government officials. However, experts have warned that the outbreak has also led to false sightings and unnecessary panic.
The alleged scammers would contact their victims and inform them of an infestation in their neighborhood. They would then visit the victims' homes posing as health officials and pretend to fumigate the space using aerosol sprays. Before leaving, they would offer an ointment that they claimed would keep the bugs away from human skin. However, the ointment was actually a simple eucalyptus-scented cream. The victims were charged between €300 and €2,100 (£257 and £1,800). The police received nine formal complaints for suspected fraud, which led to the surveillance and subsequent arrest of the suspects in Strasbourg.
The bedbug infestations in Paris have raised concerns about the problem spreading to London. London mayor Sadiq Khan expressed his worry about the threat to the capital's public transport system and stated that he had been in contact with officials in Paris and Transport For London to prevent the problem from spreading. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, you can share your experiences by emailing [email protected] or contacting the BBC through WhatsApp or Twitter.
In conclusion, two men have been arrested in France for scamming elderly people by charging them for unnecessary bedbug treatment. The men would visit the victims' homes, pretend to carry out control services, and overcharge for treatment products. The bedbug infestations in France have caused concern among government officials, but experts have warned about false sightings and unnecessary panic. The suspects would contact their victims, visit their homes posing as health officials, and offer a cream that they claimed would repel the bugs. Victims were charged between €300 and €2,100. The infestations in Paris have raised fears about the problem spreading to London.
Original news source: Two arrested in France over alleged bedbug scam (BBC)
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📖 Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs or small groups. Give each group a few minutes to read the article silently. Then, ask them to work together to summarize the main points of the article in their own words. After they have finished, have each group share their summary with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs. Have each pair discuss their opinions on the following question: "Do you think the scammers should receive a harsh punishment for targeting elderly people? Why or why not?" After they have discussed, ask each pair to share their opinions with the class. Encourage a class discussion and debate on the topic.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the students into small teams. Give each team a vocabulary word and ask them to draw a picture to represent the word. The other teams must try to guess the word based on the drawing. The team that guesses correctly gets a point. Continue with different vocabulary words until all have been used.
– Keyword Taboo
Instructions: Choose several keywords from the article and write them on separate index cards. Divide the students into two teams. One student from each team comes to the front of the class. Show them a keyword card, but they cannot say the word or any form of the word. They must describe the word to their team using synonyms, definitions, or examples. The first team to guess the keyword gets a point. Continue with different students and keywords until all have been used.
– Speed Summarizing
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs or small groups. Give each group a few minutes to read the article silently. Then, set a timer for two minutes and ask the groups to work together to summarize the main points of the article as quickly as possible. After the two minutes, have each group share their summary with the class. Encourage them to speak quickly and concisely.
🤔 Comprehension Questions:
The scammers would contact their victims and inform them of an infestation in their neighborhood.
The scammers would pretend to carry out control services, such as fumigating the space using aerosol sprays.
The scammers offered the victims an ointment that they claimed would keep the bugs away from human skin.
The victims were charged between €300 and €2,100 (£257 and £1,800).
A total of 48 people were scammed.
The bedbug infestations have raised concerns among government officials.
The scammers would visit the victims' homes posing as health officials.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has expressed worry about the bedbug problem spreading to London.
🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Two men have been arrested in France for allegedly scamming people by charging them thousands of euros for unnecessary bedbug treatment. The men would visit the victims' homes, pretend to carry out services, and then overcharge for treatment products. A total of 48 people, mostly women over 90, were scammed. infestations have been on the rise in France, causing concern among government officials. However, have warned that the outbreak has also led to false sightings and unnecessary panic. The alleged scammers would contact their victims and inform them of an in their neighborhood. They would then visit the victims' homes posing as health officials and to fumigate the space using aerosol sprays. Before leaving, they would offer an ointment that they claimed would keep the bugs away from human skin. However, the ointment was actually a eucalyptus-scented cream. The victims were charged between €300 and €2,100 (£257 and £1,800). The police nine formal complaints for suspected fraud, which led to the surveillance and subsequent arrest of the suspects in Strasbourg. The bedbug infestations in have raised concerns about the problem spreading to London. London mayor Sadiq Khan expressed his worry about the threat to the capital's public system and stated that he had been in contact with officials in Paris and Transport For London to prevent the problem from spreading. If you have been affected by any of the raised in this story, you can your experiences by emailing [email protected] or contacting the BBC through WhatsApp or Twitter. In conclusion, two men have been arrested in France for scamming elderly people by charging them for unnecessary bedbug treatment. The men would visit the ' homes, pretend to carry out control services, and overcharge for treatment products. The bedbug in France have caused concern among government officials, but experts have warned about false sightings and unnecessary panic. The suspects would contact their victims, visit their homes posing as officials, and offer a cream that they claimed would repel the bugs. Victims were charged between €300 and €2,100. The infestations in Paris have raised fears about the spreading to London.
💬 Discussion Questions:
1. What is a bedbug infestation?
2. How would you feel if someone scammed you out of thousands of euros?
3. Do you think the scammers targeted elderly people on purpose? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever been a victim of a scam? If so, what happened?
5. How do you think the victims felt when they realized they had been scammed?
6. Do you think the scammers should face harsh punishments for their actions? Why or why not?
7. What measures do you think should be taken to prevent scams like this from happening?
8. Have you ever encountered a false sighting or unnecessary panic in your own life? Can you give an example?
9. How do you think the bedbug infestations in France have affected the elderly population?
10. Do you think the scammers would have been caught if the victims were not elderly? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the victims' families reacted when they found out about the scam?
12. What steps can individuals take to protect themselves from scams like this?
13. Do you think the scammers were motivated by greed or desperation? Why or why not?
14. How do you think the bedbug infestations in Paris could affect the city's tourism industry?
15. What advice would you give to someone who suspects they may be a victim of a scam?
Individual Activities
📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:
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Words
Meanings
🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:
🕵️ True or False Questions:
📝 Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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