Fake lover, real crook. The story of Aurélien A., a 30-year-old from the north of France, has nothing to envy to that of Shimon Hayut, an Israeli crook made famous by the Netflix series The Tinder Scammer, broadcast in 2022. It is even possible that the latter was an inspiration for the one who, already arrested and imprisoned in the Var in 2019, was again arrested a few days ago in Paris after the report of two new victims. One of them recognized him by googling his false identity – James Kempiski – which links to articles by France Blue Provencewho had revealed the affair as early as 2019.
“He tries to banish us”
At that time, Major Yann Zint, now a young retiree from the national police, was the first to confuse the crook thanks to a banal road check carried out in Fréjus, in the Var. “He was in the car with his partner, who must have been thirty years older than him, and during the check he was unable to show me his papers. He says he had them stolen in Cannes, that he is American-Swiss and intended to file a complaint. But I see that something is wrong. He gives me an age that seems much older to me, that he is leaving for Antwerp where he has to buy diamonds, he has a continuous flow of words… I say to myself: “He is trying to banish us.” »
The policeman brings him back to the station for an identity check. But James is undeterred, including when his fingerprints match the profile of a man convicted in 2014 and wanted for two prison terms of two months and two years. “In audition, he never recognized his true identity. But in off he said to me: ” Yes, it’s true, but I will never take back my old identity. ” I thought: ” This guy. when he leaves, he starts again straight away.””
When the major warns his companion of the deception, she finds it hard to believe. Neither the double life he led with a Romanian top model living in Cannes, nor his false identity, nor the high life that Aurélien A. had led on his finances for five years convinced her to let go of her young lover. The grip is total and this lady will even help him get out of prison after a few months by acting as guarantor. A week after his release, he scampered off from his benefactress, “too ashamed”, believes the major, to file a complaint, not without taking credit cards and valuables.
How many women, James Kempiski, or Charles Schneider – another of his identities – did he trap? To date, eight victims are known to the police, five French, two Belgians and a Dutchwoman. But it is very likely that there are more. “He’s a man always dressed in a suit – paid for by his victims – very classy, thin, with an incredible glibness, honeyed and considerate. His youthful appearance inspires confidence. He also has incredible self-confidence and the beginnings of knowledge in many impressive fields,” describes Yann Zint.
Organize your real-fake wedding
His story is well-crafted. He is the heir to a wealthy family, the Kempinskis, a luxury hotel management company, or the Schneiders – an electronics multinational, but his papers have been stolen. Problem: to redo his credit cards, he needs his identity card, the production of which is blocked in the US. From time to time, he leads at the expense of his victims. “He goes far enough in his coverage, going so far as to send himself fake emails from the American administration to illustrate his difficulties”, continues the policeman. To one of his latest victims, a seduced Dutch businesswoman, he even promises a marriage and goes so far as to print announcements which will be found in his bag when he is arrested.
The reality is quite different: in family breakdown since his adolescence, Aurélien A, 32 years old now, was born in Armentières, in the North of France, on the Belgian border. A French mother, a father of North African origin and a childhood in a rotten suburb. “It throws less, that’s for sure! observes the policeman. He has been in the police files since he was fourteen, first for petty thefts, concealment. He made his first stint in prison in 2014, and it was when he left that he gave up his true identity. Caught in Fréjus in 2019, he was imprisoned again in Belgium for a handful of months at the start of 2022, and resumed his scams from Paris once free until his arrest a few days ago.
Fifty mentions in the record
In ten years of scams, it is difficult to try to estimate the sums embezzled by the scammer. In cash, between stolen credit card withdrawals and stolen computer objects, this amounts to several tens of thousands of euros. But there is all the material comfort offered by his victims, accommodation, hotels, restaurants, costumes… A comfort on which Aurélien A. will have to give up the time of his new stay in prison.
“He’s been doing this all his life, back and forth in jail and scams. First on the Côte d’Azur, then once grilled here, he left for Belgium, before trying his luck again in Paris, ”analyzes the policeman who is sure to hear about him again. But he will have to reinvent himself. With around fifty mentions in his record, it is difficult for Aurélien A. to continue under his three known identities, which are all listed in the police files. When he leaves, he is likely to go abroad. The risk is that he hardens himself in prison, and takes advantage of this time to refine a new character. “Kempiski, he knew it by heart,” notes Major Zint.