By Vincent Charles
Publication Date: 2025-11-18 16:50:00
On a sunny morning on October 19, 2025, four men reportedly entered the world’s most visited museum and left minutes later with crown jewels worth 88 million euros (£76 million). The theft from Paris’ Louvre Museum – one of the most monitored cultural institutions in the world – lasted just under eight minutes.
The visitors continued browsing. Security did not respond (until the alarm went off). The men disappeared into city traffic before anyone realized what had happened.
Investigators later discovered that the thieves were wearing high-visibility vests and disguised themselves as construction workers. They arrived in a furniture elevator, a common sight in the narrow streets of Paris, and used it to reach a balcony overlooking the Seine. Dressed as workers, they looked like they belonged there.
This strategy worked because we don’t see the world objectively. We see it by categories – by what we expect to see. The thieves understood the social categories we perceive as…
