Two men in France have been arrested for tricking elderly people into paying lots of money for bedbug treatment that they didn’t need. The men would go to the victims’ houses, pretend to get rid of the bedbugs, and then charge them too much money for the products they used. They scammed 48 people, most of whom were women over 90 years old. Bedbug infestations have been increasing in France, which has worried the government. But experts have said that some people are seeing bedbugs where they aren’t and getting scared for no reason.

The scammers would contact the victims and tell them that there was a bedbug problem in their area. Then they would go to the victims’ houses and pretend to be health officials. They would spray aerosol sprays to make it look like they were getting rid of the bedbugs. Before leaving, they would give the victims a cream that they said would keep the bugs away from their skin. But the cream was just a simple cream that smelled like eucalyptus. The victims had to pay between €300 and €2,100. The police got nine complaints about the scam, which led to the arrest of the suspects in Strasbourg.

The bedbug problem in Paris has made people worried that it might spread to London. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said that he is concerned about the bugs getting into the city’s public transportation system. He has been talking to officials in Paris and Transport For London to try to stop the problem from spreading. If you have been affected by anything in this story, you can share your experiences by emailing [email protected] or contacting the BBC through WhatsApp or Twitter.

Original news source: Two arrested in France over alleged bedbug scam (BBC)

Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into pairs or small groups.
2. Provide each group with a copy of the article.
3. Instruct the students to read the article and summarize the main points in their own words.
4. Give the groups a few minutes to discuss and come up with their summaries.
5. Have each group share their summary with the class.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into pairs.
2. Ask them to read the article individually.
3. Instruct each pair to come up with three questions related to the article that they can ask their classmates.
4. Give the students a few minutes to prepare their questions.
5. Have each pair take turns asking their questions to the rest of the class and record their classmates’ responses.

– Word Association
Instructions:
1. Write the word “bedbugs” on the board.
2. Ask the students to brainstorm as many words or phrases related to bedbugs as they can in one minute.
3. After one minute, have the students share their responses and write them on the board.
4. Encourage the students to make connections between the words and discuss their associations.

– Sketch It
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into pairs.
2. Give each pair a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil.
3. Instruct one student in each pair to describe a scene from the article, while the other student listens and tries to sketch it.
4. After a few minutes, have the pairs switch roles.
5. Allow the students to share and compare their sketches, discussing any differences or similarities.

– Future Predictions
Instructions:
1. Ask the students to imagine what might happen next in the story.
2. Instruct them to write a short paragraph or create a dialogue between two characters, predicting the future events.
3. Give the students a few minutes to work on their predictions.
4. Have volunteers share their predictions with the class and discuss their reasoning behind their ideas.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What did the two men in France do to trick elderly people?
2. Who were the majority of the victims of the scam?
3. Why has the bedbug problem in France worried the government?
4. How did the scammers pretend to get rid of the bedbugs?
5. What did the scammers give the victims before leaving?
6. How much money did the victims have to pay?
7. How many complaints did the police receive about the scam?
8. Who is concerned about the bedbug problem spreading to London?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Two men in France have been arrested for (1)______ elderly people into (2)______ lots of money for bedbug treatment that they didn’t need. The men would go to the victims’ houses, pretend to get rid of the bedbugs, and then charge them too much money for the (3)______ they used. They scammed 48 people, most of whom were women over 90 years old. Bedbug (4)______ have been increasing in France, which has worried the (5)______. But experts have said that some (6)______ are seeing bedbugs where they aren’t and getting scared for no reason.

The scammers would contact the victims and tell them that there was a bedbug (7)______ in their area. Then they would go to the victims’ houses and pretend to be health officials. They would spray (8)______ sprays to make it look like they were getting rid of the bedbugs. Before leaving, they would give the victims a (9)______ that they said would keep the bugs away from their skin. But the cream was just a (10)______ cream that smelled like eucalyptus. The victims had to pay between €300 and €2,100. The police got nine complaints about the scam, which led to the arrest of the suspects in Strasbourg.

The bedbug problem in (11)______ has made people (12)______ that it might spread to London. The (13)______ of London, Sadiq Khan, said that he is concerned about the bugs getting into the city’s public transportation system. He has been talking to officials in Paris and Transport For London to try to stop the problem from spreading. If you have been affected by anything in this (14)______, you can share your (15)______ by (16)______ [email protected] or contacting the BBC through WhatsApp or Twitter.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a scam?
2. How would you feel if someone tricked you into paying a lot of money for something you didn’t need?
3. Do you think it’s fair to target elderly people for scams? Why or why not?
4. Have you ever heard of bedbugs? What do you know about them?
5. How would you react if someone came to your house pretending to be a health official?
6. Do you think it’s important for the government to take action against scams like this? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever been scammed or tricked before? Can you share your experience?
8. What do you think about the scammers using a simple cream that smelled like eucalyptus to trick the victims?
9. How much money do you think is too much to pay for bedbug treatment?
10. Do you think the scammers should be punished for what they did? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the victims felt when they realized they had been scammed?
12. Do you think the bedbug problem in Paris will spread to other cities? Why or why not?
13. What measures do you think should be taken to prevent scams like this from happening?
14. How important is it for cities to work together to solve common problems, like the bedbug issue?
15. Have you ever had an experience with a pest infestation? How did you handle it?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. tricking
2. elderly
3. bedbug
4. treatment
5. victims
6. infestations
7. worried
8. government
9. officials
10. aerosol sprays
11. cream
12. complaints
13. suspects
14. transportation system
15. affected

Meanings:
(A) The group of people who have the power to make decisions and control a country
(B) Sprays that come out of a can and are used to kill bugs
(C) The act of trying to cure or heal a medical condition
(D) Small insects that live in beds and feed on blood
(E) Having been influenced or impacted by something
(F) People who are suspected of committing a crime
(G) Fooling or deceiving someone
(H) Old people, especially those who are retired
(I) The presence of a large number of bedbugs in an area
(J) The system of vehicles and routes used for moving people or goods from one place to another
(K) Expressions of dissatisfaction or unhappiness about something
(L) People who have been harmed or taken advantage of
(M) A type of lotion or ointment that is applied to the skin
(N) Feeling anxious or concerned about something
(O) People who work for the government and have authority
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. How did the scammers trick elderly people into paying for unnecessary bedbug treatment?
(a) They told the victims there was a bedbug problem in their area and scared them.
(b) They gave the victims a cream that smelled like eucalyptus.
(c) They contacted the victims and pretended to be health officials.
(d) They pretended to get rid of the bedbugs and charged too much money for the products.

2. Who were the main targets of the scammers?
(a) Men over 90 years old.
(b) Women under 90 years old.
(c) Women over 90 years old.
(d) Men under 90 years old.

3. How many people were scammed by the two men?
(a) 48 people.
(b) 9 people.
(c) 90 people.
(d) 2 people.

4. What did the scammers spray in the victims’ houses?
(a) Bedbug repellent cream.
(b) Aerosol sprays.
(c) Eucalyptus-scented cream.
(d) Health officials.

5. How much money did the victims have to pay?
(a) Between €100 and €500.
(b) Between €300 and €2,100.
(c) Between €2,000 and €5,000.
(d) Between €50 and €200.

6. How many complaints did the police receive about the scam?
(a) 9 complaints.
(b) 48 complaints.
(c) 2 complaints.
(d) 90 complaints.

7. Who is concerned about the bedbug problem spreading to London?
(a) The mayor of Paris.
(b) The victims of the scam.
(c) The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
(d) The health officials.

8. How can people share their experiences related to this story?
(a) By calling the police.
(b) By sharing their experiences on social media.
(c) By contacting the mayor of London.
(d) By emailing [email protected] or contacting the BBC through WhatsApp or Twitter.

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. They would spray aerosol sprays to make it seem like they were getting rid of the bedbugs.
2. The victims were given a cream that was supposed to attract bugs, but it was just a simple cream without any scent.
3. The victims had to pay between €100 and €900 for the necessary treatment.
4. Two men in France have been arrested for tricking elderly people into paying for unnecessary bedbug treatment.
5. Bedbug infestations have been increasing in France, causing concern for the government.
6. The scammers targeted mostly young women under the age of 30.
7. Some people are rightly seeing bedbugs where they aren’t and getting scared for valid reasons, according to experts.
8. The scammers would contact the victims and pretend to be health officials.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What were the two men in France arrested for?
2. Who were the main victims of the scam?
3. How did the scammers trick the victims into paying too much money?
4. How many complaints did the police receive about the scam?
5. Who is concerned about the bedbug problem spreading to London?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What did the two men in France do to trick elderly people?
The two men tricked elderly people by pretending to get rid of bedbugs in their homes and then charging them too much money for the products they used.

2. Who were the majority of the victims of the scam?
The majority of the victims were women over 90 years old.

3. Why has the bedbug problem in France worried the government?
The bedbug problem in France has worried the government because it has been increasing and spreading, causing concern for public health and safety.

4. How did the scammers pretend to get rid of the bedbugs?
The scammers pretended to get rid of the bedbugs by spraying aerosol sprays in the victims’ homes, making it look like they were taking care of the problem.

5. What did the scammers give the victims before leaving?
Before leaving, the scammers gave the victims a cream that they claimed would keep the bedbugs away from their skin. However, the cream was just a simple cream that smelled like eucalyptus.

6. How much money did the victims have to pay?
The victims had to pay between €300 and €2,100.

7. How many complaints did the police receive about the scam?
The police received nine complaints about the scam, which eventually led to the arrest of the suspects.

8. Who is concerned about the bedbug problem spreading to London?
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is concerned about the bedbug problem spreading to London, especially in the city’s public transportation system.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) tricking
(2) paying
(3) products
(4) infestations
(5) government
(6) people
(7) problem
(8) aerosol
(9) cream
(10) simple
(11) Paris
(12) worried
(13) mayor
(14) story
(15) experiences
(16) emailing
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. tricking
Answer: (G) Fooling or deceiving someone

2. elderly
Answer: (H) Old people, especially those who are retired

3. bedbug
Answer: (D) Small insects that live in beds and feed on blood

4. treatment
Answer: (C) The act of trying to cure or heal a medical condition

5. victims
Answer: (L) People who have been harmed or taken advantage of

6. infestations
Answer: (I) The presence of a large number of bedbugs in an area

7. worried
Answer: (N) Feeling anxious or concerned about something

8. government
Answer: (A) The group of people who have the power to make decisions and control a country

9. officials
Answer: (O) People who work for the government and have authority

10. aerosol sprays
Answer: (B) Sprays that come out of a can and are used to kill bugs

11. cream
Answer: (M) A type of lotion or ointment that is applied to the skin

12. complaints
Answer: (K) Expressions of dissatisfaction or unhappiness about something

13. suspects
Answer: (F) People who are suspected of committing a crime

14. transportation system
Answer: (J) The system of vehicles and routes used for moving people or goods from one place to another

15. affected
Answer: (E) Having been influenced or impacted by something
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. How did the scammers trick elderly people into paying for unnecessary bedbug treatment?
Answer: (d) They pretended to get rid of the bedbugs and charged too much money for the products.

2. Who were the main targets of the scammers?
Answer: (c) Women over 90 years old.

3. How many people were scammed by the two men?
Answer: (a) 48 people.

4. What did the scammers spray in the victims’ houses?
Answer: (b) Aerosol sprays.

5. How much money did the victims have to pay?
Answer: (b) Between €300 and €2,100.

6. How many complaints did the police receive about the scam?
Answer: (a) 9 complaints.

7. Who is concerned about the bedbug problem spreading to London?
Answer: (c) The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

8. How can people share their experiences related to this story?
Answer: (d) By emailing [email protected] or contacting the BBC through WhatsApp or Twitter.
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. They would spray aerosol sprays to make it seem like they were getting rid of the bedbugs. (Answer: True)
2. The victims were given a cream that was supposed to attract bugs, but it was just a simple cream without any scent. (Answer: False)
3. The victims had to pay between €100 and €900 for the necessary treatment. (Answer: False)
4. Two men in France have been arrested for tricking elderly people into paying for unnecessary bedbug treatment. (Answer: True)
5. Bedbug infestations have been increasing in France, causing concern for the government. (Answer: True)
6. The scammers targeted mostly young women under the age of 30. (Answer: False)
7. Some people are rightly seeing bedbugs where they aren’t and getting scared for valid reasons, according to experts. (Answer: False)
8. The scammers would contact the victims and pretend to be health officials. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧