( CNN ) -- First it was Chinese tourists apparently being targeted by criminal gangs in Paris . Roma pickpocketing crews were reportedly picking on Chinese travelers because of their habit of carrying plenty of cash with them . Now the tables seem , in a way , to be turned . French authorities suspect Chinese organized criminals to be behind the circulation of thousands of fake tickets to Paris ' Louvre -- the world 's most visited art gallery -- in a scam worth hundreds of thousands of euros . The museum was alerted to the swindle at the beginning of August when a staff member became suspicious of a ticket handed over by a Chinese tour guide , France 24 reports . The ticket `` felt strange to the touch and the paper quality was not good . All our staff were immediately put on the alert , '' a Louvre spokesperson told Le Parisien . Upping their game . But the criminals behind the scam appear to have upped their game at some point -- or more than one gang is operating . Days later , the Louvre discovered fake tickets that at first appeared `` in every way identical to the genuine article , '' the spokesperson said . Then , at the end of August , Belgian customs officers seized more than 4,000 forged Louvre passes in a parcel from China . The counterfeit tickets being worth at least â‚¬36 ( $ 48 ) each , that haul alone would have saved the scammers at least â‚¬144,000 ( about $ 191,000 ) . Read more : Chinese tourists targeted in Paris pickpocketing spate . The Belgian discovery has sparked a French criminal investigation into whether criminal gangs in China are collaborating with Chinese tour operators in Paris to profit from the fake tickets , the Louvre said . However , French officials are reportedly wary of commenting publicly on the investigation for fear of causing diplomatic embarrassment with China . Scope of scam uncertain . The Louvre as yet has no idea of the scope of the scam . `` Our tickets are valid for a year . There 's no telling how many are in circulation and there 's no way as yet of calculating the cost of this scam to the museum , '' the Louvre said . The gallery would `` enhance [ its ] anti-counterfeiting system '' in response to the forgeries , the gallery told the Beijing Times , emphasizing that it continued to welcome Chinese tourists . French diplomats may be right to tread warily around the incident . Comments on Chinese social media expressed concern about the damage the scam could do to China 's image . `` Can you please stop forging ? This is so embarrassing ! '' read one post on Weibo , the Chinese equivalent of Twitter ( link in Chinese language only ) . `` Ticket holders may not know the tickets are fake -- yet Chinese people are the ones being shamed , '' read another .
Belgian gangs may be behind forging of One of fake Louvre passes . thousands haul alone -- in Belgium -- worth about $ 191,000 . Belgium reportedly wary of diplomatic fallout . Chinese social media users `` embarrassed ''