For the Louvre, recognized as the most frequented museum globally, it is "statistically unavoidable" that issues of fraud would eventually arise, stated the museum’s second-in-command following the revelation of a decade-long suspected ticket-fraud operation amounting to 10 million euros ($11.8 million) disclosed last week.
Kim Pham, the Louvre's general administrator, informed The Associated Press that the museum's exceptional size renders it especially susceptible to such challenges.
However, when asked to identify other institutions facing similar issues, he refrained from naming any specific peers.
"Which museum worldwide, with this degree of visitors, would not occasionally face some fraud-related issues?" Pham pondered, as he oversees daily operations along with administration and internal management.
Managing the museum is no simple feat, given its 86,000 square meters of space showcasing 35,000 pieces of art to 9 million annual visitors.
Last week, prosecutors in Paris reported that nine individuals were detained in relation to the ticket fraud scheme. These nine have been officially charged and presented before investigative judges.
Included among the suspects are two Chinese tour guides alleged to have deceitfully reused the same tickets for different groups of visitors, reportedly with assistance from Louvre staff.
According to prosecutors, the Louvre lodged a complaint back in December 2024. Investigators estimate that losses have surpassed 10
million euros ($11.8 million) over the last ten years, with the purported criminal organization believed to have operated up to 20 guided groups each day.
As the judicial inquiry proceeds, Pham chose not to verify those estimates.
Prosecutors indicated that in addition to the repeated misuse of tickets, the tour guides occasionally split their groups to evade payment of a mandatory "speaking fee,"
which is a type of commission paid to the museum for permission to conduct tours.
Over the past year, the Louvre has dealt with the October 2025 high-profile theft of the French Crown Jewels from t
he Apollo Gallery, water leak issues that harmed invaluable books, numerous employee walkouts, and a wildcat strike last summer related to inadequate working conditions, excessive tourism, and insufficient staffing.
When questioned if the recent incident supports a view of a disordered Louvre, Pham contested that notion.
"Simply put,
Pham characterized the Louvre as "a historic structure that began to take shape in the early 13th century and has accumulated numerous historical layers through to the 20th century."
"It is only natural that within this complexity, we encounter challenges," he continued, acknowledging some inadequacies in the museum’s protective measures.
"I can't say that we perform flawlessly or that we have executed everything correctly," he remarked.
"What I am conveying is that combating fraud is a constant endeavor."
Pham emphasized that it was the museum that notified the authorities about the case and not the other way around.
He dismissed the notion that understaffing—cited as a cause for several staff strikes in the past year—contributed to the alleged ticket misuse. He presented the larger issue as increasingly digital.
“Currently, ninety percent of tickets are purchased online,” he stated. “That is the primary area where significant fraud occurs.”
He mentioned “fraudulent transactions using stolen cards” — “we experienced that extensively in 2023,” he noted — in addition to the “draining of free tickets” for reselling purposes and the occurrence of counterfeit tickets.
Pham maintained that visitor limitations imposed post-pandemic can result in a scarcity that attracts scammers.
“When the number of individuals allowed in a museum each day is restricted, it enhances ticket scarcity, which in turn attracts fraudsters,” he observed, “It’s similar to a concert featuring a famous artist — it is precisely when spots are limited that fraud tends to increase significantly.”
The fraud situation has surfaced while the Louvre is still handling the repercussions from the crisis that received global attention — the crown jewels heist in October where a group of four individuals broke in through a window during open hours and escaped with approximately 88 million euros (around $104 million) worth of valuables.
Several individuals have been taken into custody regarding that incident, but the stolen treasures remain unaccounted for.
Pham mentioned the Louvre has restricted the number of times a ticket can be scanned at its various checkpoints.
Now, individual tickets are capped at two scans, and group tickets are confined to one, he remarked, a modification aimed at stopping guides from using the same ticket multiple times to facilitate extra visitors. The museum features numerous entry points into its sections, and prosecutors contend that guides have misused ticket validation to repeatedly bring in more groups.
“For several months — and we did not wait for the ongoing investigation and recent arrests to initiate this — we have been conducting checks prior to the checkpoint,” he stated, adding that verifications are also performed “once individuals are inside the museum galleries.”
Pham explained that two Louvre staff members who are being questioned in the investigation have been instructed not to return to their work during the probe, while also emphasizing their presumption of innocence until the inquiry and legal processes are fully resolved.
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