Credit card scandal rocks Disney

THE Magic Kingdom was rocked yesterday after it was alleged a former employee of Disneyland Paris had stolen thousands of pounds from VIP visitors in a major credit card fraud.

Jean-Pierre Sallet allegedly used the credit card details of guests including footballers, film stars and royalty to buy thousands of pounds worth of electrical equipment and other luxuries.

Police say they discovered an Aladdin’s cave of valuables when they raided his flat after he was allegedly caught trying to use a stolen credit card number to buy concert tickets.

The Disneyland Paris employee, who resigned in November, is accused of using his position in the park’s VIP village to gain access to the credit card numbers of numerous celebrities, including the footballer David Ginola, the film actress Ornella Mutti and the actor Anthony Delon, son of Alain Delon.

Members of the Saudi Arabian, Bahrain and Qatar Royal families were also among Sallet’s alleged victims, as were several other French television stars.

He also allegedly used the credit card details of Philippe Bourgignon, the former head of Disneyland Paris.

The Paris prosecutor has placed Sallet, 39, under formal investigation - one step short of being charged under French law - after police arrested him at a concert hall at the weekend.

The arrest followed a long investigation during which Sallet had been followed by police for several days.

After searching Sallet’s flat, investigators described it as "an Ali Baba’s cave" crammed with hi-fi equipment and DVD players, some of which they said was intended for resale.

Sallet’s victims never saw his face, as they had booked their stay at the park by telephone or internet.

According to investigators, Sallet used the stolen credit card numbers to buy airline tickets and hi-fi equipment worth tens of thousands of pounds.

"In many cases it is still true that it is enough to give the 16 figures on your card to make an order.

"You do not need your secret code. There are no more security checks than that," a judicial source said.

The alarm was raised by American Express, which alerted police after estimating the scam had cost it 50,000 (35,000).

Sallet is suspected of stealing around a hundred American Express card numbers as well as dozens of Visa and Diners Club numbers.

Investigators are still working to establish the total amount that has been stolen in the fraud.

Investigators said Sallet had succeeded in getting away with the scam for more than two years before he was discovered.

The Disneyland employee evaded detection by not getting too greedy, they said. He spaced out his purchases and his wealthy victims never noticed their accounts had been debited.

Efforts are under way to find Sallet’s remaining victims.