Victim of a stolen check scam, her sister committed suicide at 17

TESTIMONY

Laurence's little sister, Océane, committed suicide in March 2018. The 17-year-old girl had been the victim of a scam with checks stolen by her boyfriend.

The photo of Océane's corpse was then circulated on Snapchat.

Laurence then created an association to help people whose photos are improperly distributed on social networks.

At the microphone of "La Libre antenna", on Europe 1, Laurence returns to the legal proceedings that her family has undertaken against the swindler, the bank and the author of the photo posted on social networks.

>> Listen to Laurence's testimony in full here

"In March 2018, my last sister, Océane, decided to end her life by lying on the train tracks at Evry-Courcouronnes station. She was 17 years old. She was the victim of a scam. met a boy at a birthday party at the end of 2017. Their relationship began at the end of January 2018. This boy turned out to be a manipulator since he was not on his first try He charmed Océane by pretending to be a hardworking boy. 

Océane suffered a stolen check scam.

This boy told him about his situation as a VTC driver having problems with his bank account.

He therefore asked Océane to have access to his account.

He asked her to make a deposit of checks, specifying that they were salary checks.

Océane did it out of love and above all out of kindness, because she has always had her heart set on her back.

We learned of this relationship on the day of his death. 

On the day of her death, Océane was uncovered of 2,000 euros

He asked her to pass him his debit card.

What she did without suspecting a possible scam.

Thanks to the investigation, we were able to identify him making the withdrawals himself.

Océane had a young account.

On the day of her death, Océane was overdraft of 2,000 euros.

She left us a letter in which she explains this scam.

Right away, my mother told us it was not possible because there is a clause in the contract with the bank which states that it was prohibited from depositing checks and that there was a limit of withdrawal. 

We wondered why she hadn't told us about it.

Océane showed no discomfort, quite the contrary.

The day before her suicide, she was very smiling and I even laughed with her before she went to bed.

We are talking about a young woman of 17 who was not yet mature.

She writes it in her letter, she takes responsibility for what she has done.

According to her, she was at fault because she got screwed and would risk causing problems. 

This digest of information for a young girl of 17, it is unimaginable

The only person she asked for help was the director of the bank branch she met the day before her suicide.

He told her about problems with the police, justice and banking.

We found out from reading his letter.

I think this digest of information for a 17 year old girl is unimaginable.

At 17, I passed my baccalaureate;

there we are talking about a scam of which I can be an accomplice. 

The very day of Océane's suicide, I met this person who had given such information to a 17-year-old minor, without a legal representative.

He explains to me that he told my sister to tell her parents about it.

He told a 17-year-old to tell her parents that she has a flirtation that has cheated her out of a few thousand dollars.

It is not possible.

Thanks to the investigation, we discovered that Océane had contacted her banking advisor by email telling her that she had just deposited checks and not to cash them if it seemed doubtful to her.

My sister's body was posted on social networks

Since February, Océane had alerted because she had a doubt.

They let the checks cash and the withdrawals go.

There should have been an alert because the stolen check scam is known to the banks.

Clearly there was negligence.

During the criminal trial, the director of the agency was called as a witness.

He admitted that this scam was known within his agency.

A young girl alerts them and nothing is done.

We have therefore decided to initiate legal proceedings against the bank and we are awaiting the hearing.

On the day of Océane's suicide, an individual who was on the platform took a photo of Océane's body cut in two under a train.

He put an emoticon and a comment under the photo and posted it on the Snapchat social network.

This very violent image, no one had to see it.

We are talking about a life, a young girl who ended her life in very violent conditions.

My sister's body was posted on social media.

It added to our pain.

Social networks are a scourge

The perpetrator of the scam did not appear at any of the hearings.

We were told that he did not feel the strength to come to court in front of the family.

You have to recognize your actions.

He was sentenced to only a one-year suspended sentence and to pay damages to the family, although he had already been convicted of similar facts.

Regarding the photo posted on social networks, the author was ordered to pay damages to the family.

This year, I created an association called "Prévention Océane".

We are in a process of collecting testimonials to have a weight.

I try to get closer to certain members of the government in order to have support and to change things.

We want people who feel deadlocked to understand that they are victims, not guilty.

In the exchanges that I have had, the young girls speak to me a lot of shame and say that they were not listened to.

>> Find Olivier Delacroix's Libre antenna in replay and podcast here

It is a social problem, since the departure of Océane raised problems of fraud and problems encountered with social networks.

Social networks are a scourge.

We are talking about 

, macabre photos, but also school bullying.

The author of the photos is responsible, but so are the people who share.

I felt the lack of my little sister during the period of confinement.

I should have been confined with my sister at home.

I should have shared more moments with her.

We should have celebrated our baccalaureate.

All these things were taken from us.

"