Traveller communities fascinate — and sometimes worry — the public, especially when it comes to a subject they dislike discussing: money. Many work as street vendors, chimney sweeps, or fairground ride operators. They live from odd jobs or welfare benefits, yet some are believed to handle fortunes. An immersion into their business world, sometimes on the edge of legality.
Between the Foire du Trône and giant Ferris wheels, cash is everywhere in this community. Visitors are often unable to pay by card. Fairground ride operators are said to pocket more than 40% of their takings off the books.
Within these traveller communities, some families are believed to flirt dangerously with the law: burglars or scrap-metal dealers, certain Gypsy clans allegedly draw income from violence and trafficking, using their camps as fallback bases. Clans discreetly monitored both by the courts and the tax authorities.
So what methods do traveller communities use to succeed in business? How can they declare modest incomes while driving luxury sedans or throwing lavish weddings?
For several months, families opened their doors to us. From their extravagant lifestyles to their unexpected investments — not forgetting their sometimes violent confrontations with tax authorities and public officials — this investigation explores the secret money of France’s traveller communities.