When the Restos du Cœur, currently in great financial difficulty, call for donations, scammers regularly take advantage of the situation to take advantage of the generosity of the French. The association has already warned against this scam.
The Restos du Cœur uttered a cry of distress to warn of the situation. A deficit of 35 million euros endangers the continuation of their assistance missions to people in need or in difficulty. The call was heard by important portfolios: that of the State which announced to release 15 million euros, that of the president of LVMH Bernard Arnault or those of the Blues of the French football team. But donations also come, and most often, from the French.
If the Restos du Cœur volunteers rely on the generosity of individuals, they also warn them against scams that divert donations. A scam is regularly set up, during isolated initiatives, during the major campaigns of the association. Individuals of all ages display the Restos du Cœur logo and solicit individuals at home by going door-to-door or in the city center by calling on passers-by.
The volunteers and presidents of the local branches of the association report these fraudulent actions as soon as possible. In August 2022, it was in Haute-Loire that teenagers extracted donations by posing as members of the association. Marc Lavergne, president of the local associative branch, then reminded Zoom from here that “members of Restaurants du Cœur do not take any steps at home” during collections. In February of the same year, schoolchildren had developed the same door-to-door system in a town in the Landes.
This Restos de Cœur scam was also reported by the association in March 2021 when a group of well-organized fake volunteers was rampant in the Loiret department, near Orléans and the surrounding area. Individuals introduced themselves as members of the association and solicited donations from locals after knocking on their door. Sophie Spilliaert, administrator at Restos du Cœur and president of the departmental branch at the time, warned people living in Ouest-France: “We must not be misled, even if these people show up with a badge, no matter who can make a badge by printing our logo found on the Internet.” While the association had denounced a scam and filed a complaint. Precedents had been spotted in the region in 2016, but the phenomenon has been raging for a long time and in several departments, one of the oldest cases dates back to 2002 in Essonne. Alas, the scam resurfaces regularly, locally, all over France, so simple is the process to deceive gullible people.
The appeal for donations issued by the association for its survival at the start of the 2023 school year could be the focus of new scams. The previous warnings are still valid, because the collection methods for Restos du Cœur have not changed and are never organized at home. To make a financial donation, the association makes an appointment on its website.
