Snatch thefts in Spain

Hotel staff scam in Barcelona, Spain

My parents travelled to Barcelona, Spain for their 30th anniversary of marriage. They were staying at the Hotel Colonial. One evening after coming back to their hotel room two men knocked on the door. My mum opened the door. They apologized for disturbing with their broken English and said they came to check the internet connection in the room and they had to come inside for a few minutes to check something.

One of the guys – the middle aged one started talking to my parents and asking question about their trip while filling in some papers. The other one seemed to be checking the wires near the TV. After about 5 minutes they apologized again and left the room.

The next day my mum was looking for her golden watch but couldn’t find it. She then remembered she took it for the night before and put it on the little table next to the TV. After looking for the watch everywhere she could she got convinced it were the men that came to check the internet connection the night before who took the golden watch.

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Spain – Malaga suitcase thieves scam

Opening:

On the coastline in Spain, the train traffic is limited and some places you need to take an express bus. I was on my way from Malaga to Estepona, with a stop in Marbella. Trip lasts for about one and a half hours.

How it works:

Thieves join the bus, or wait on the next stop to pick up their friends. People that go to Estepona often stay on the bus as the ride is so short. They steal pieces of luggage on the stop. And when arriving at your destination you will see it is gone missing. The problem is that there is not much you can do. They will often approach you after on your destination, to sell you some cheap stuff or guide you to a hotel. They are well organized, NOBODY in Southern Spain will offer you help right on the spot. That is just not how the world works there.

How to avoid it:

Please be on time at the bus stop. Put your luggage as deep as possible as thieves are not able to steal it. If you take short express buses, with one or two stops, always look out the window. They will never take heavy luggage but often smaller bags, or plastic bags or hand luggage.

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They robbed our room

While we were in Barcelona on holiday, we had an awful experience.

We went to the beach and my friend forgot to close all the windows in our room. We didn’t care that much since we taught nothing will happen. But when we returned we saw that our room wasn’t the way we left it.

They have stolen my friend’s laptop and around 100 euros. Luckily most of our money was in the safe so they couldn’t take everything.

My advice is to close everything and keep anything valuable in a safe. You never know what can happen while you are resting at the beach…

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Pick Pockets in La Sagrada Familia

I was with a friend of mine in Barcelona when we decided to go inside the beautiful La Sagrada familia. My friend is an avid photographer and she was taking photos inside the church. She had a sling back on her shoulder where she kept a second lens. As she was switching between lenses and looking up to aim and shoot for her next shot, her second lens was stolen out of her bag. We just never thought this would happen inside a church.

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Do not leave your phone on the table

Also in Madrid if you go to eat to those places with tables outside. do not leave your phone on the table while talking or eating or else someone will grab it and run

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Bag stolen by Spanish waiters in good restaurant

Thanks for all this great info.

I’ve travelled in many countries and am very streetwise. Though while in Barcelona my partner and I were at an outdoor street restaurant near La Sagrada Familia at 10pm.

Totally empty street and a few folk at other tables. I had my shoulder bag at my feet and usually would have had it on my lap or tied to the chair – but as the street was completely empty and I’d see anyone approaching it seemed unnecessary.

Our drinks arrived and the two Spainish waiters slammed them down on the table and roughly rearranged the menus and other stuff on the table to distract us. Moments later I realised my bag was gone.

At the time I didn’t suspect the waiters as it seemed too risky an act for them to pull off, though in hindsight it was obvious it had to be them. My wallet was in the bag along with a few other personal items and the cards were tried at an atm within minutes – but they tried to take out 500€ and the banks froze the cards in response.

I challenged the waiters and owner the next night and it was obviously them but they had the upper hand in numbers and aggression/violent nature and I valued keeping my teeth.

So it’s not just the Eastern Europeans as you suggest in your film who are at it. Spainish waiters in good restaurants with trip advisor reputation are also helping themselves.

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Dudes selling you 1 euro beers are scouting for wasted people

Barcelona is awful for this, there are loads of drunk people on the beach and the dudes selling you 1 euro beers are just scouting for wasted people with unsupervised phones/wallets/etc. Though that’s more stealing than a scam, I guess.

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Stolen after placed on the weigh-in machine at check-in

Disclaimer: heard 8 years ago

I once met a girl who worked for Lufthansa at Barcelona Airport.

She told me that people would sometimes have bags stolen after they had been placed on the weigh-in machine at check-in. mainly old couples with lots of bags.

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Fake victim of theft in Barcelona

It was around 6:30 am in the el born section. Me and 3 of my children were waiting with bags for my wife and daughter to come meet us . A woman, in English , started screaming in an alley that her purse was just stolen and her passport was gone and “help me, help me”. She wasn’t in any physical harm, so I wasn’t going to go help her. Anyway, I thought it was legit . It may very well have been.

Later I was told by some folks that this is a common scam – meant to separate me from my bags. And I thought I read every scam out there. This one should be included. Helping someone that is a victim of a scam, may be a scam itself . Avoid them, they can go to the police, or, at least be vigilant if you do decide to help

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Restaurant cellphone lifting

We were sitting at an outdoor table having coffee. A guy acting as a mute was showing us a piece of paper with scribbles all over it and just pointing at it. he then left. That’s when we realized he lifted the cell phone from the table while it was blocked from our view behind the piece of paper.

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