Another Barcelona Scam
 

Barcelona seems to have a bad reputation on the forums when it comes to scams and theft. Well my son contacted me to inform me had his wallet stolen in Barcelona. He was approached by a stranger a couple of nights who started a conversation. The stranger dropped his cigarette "accidently" and my son courteously picked it up for him. As he did so the louse picked his back pocket. My son had had a few drinks so although not intoxicated his guard was down. After contacting me I rang his bank immediately and cancelled his credit card. So what's the message in all of this? The following applies anywhere not just Barcelona.

1. Don't talk to strangers!
2. Drink moderately.
3. Don't be paranoid, but do remember someone is always assessing you as a possible target.
4. Wear a moneybelt. I know, I know there's volumes written in this forum about their merits and negatives. Are you prepared to risk considerable inconvenience from being robbed of bank cards and passport?
5. Contact your credit provider and Embassy IMMEDIATELY.
6. File a police report: Fortunately for him he only lost 100 euro and his cards were not accessed. He chose not to file a report but if your cards are accessed you will need this to file an insurance/bank claim.

Would anyone like to add to this list? Happy and safe travels.

Young people in their late teens and early twenties seem to be quite vulnerable, based on the fact that two young people that I know who have gone to Barcelona lately have both suffered either robbery or attempted robbery (I don't mean pickpocketing - but robbery). In one case, it was thwarted by the would-be victim being very fleetfooted.

Sorry this happened to your son, and I'm glad he was okay.

I hate to say don't talk to strangers, though. How would you meet anyone while traveling if you forbid talking?

Defenders can say what they want. Of course this "can happen anywhere", but the FREQUENCY and probability that it will happen in this city and Madrid are MUCH higher than many other capitals.

And it will get worse.

There is NO CONSEQUENCE for stealing a mere wallet in Spain.

Maybe this helps explain the problem.

Obviously folks should be careful, but we were in Barcelona last month, stayed in Born , walked down the Ramblas, used ATMs and saw no crime or pickpockets. I never wear a money belt...the only time I did (in Turkey) I lost money as I slipped it off as it was very uncomfortable and left it behind on the steps! It was handed in to the bar I was outside, with passport, but by the time it got back to me visa the police, minus cash. I carry a wallet....like I do in my own city....you don't see the inhabitants of Barcelona all wearing money belts....
If we never talk to strangers we never meet nice people on our travels....

worldinabag (in pertinent part) writes: "... my son contacted me to inform me had his wallet stolen in Barcelona. ... So what's the message in all of this?

... Would anyone like to add to this list?" Yes!

You titled this thread: 'Another Barcelona Scam.' I don't see anything original about it! It's just the same old getting your wallet stolen by a pickpocket who distracts you and manipulates you to make their target more accessible for him/her.
One must be aware of one's surroundings at all times and:
7. Never, ever carry your wallet in your back pocket!

I am so happy to hear that alihutch. I have never been robbed either in 39 years HOWEVER, the percentage of friends and guests who have been is ENORMOUS. Somtimes with me at their side!

There was an intersting article in the newspaper a long time ago recorded off a foreigner's cell phone that was tapped for other reasons:

"Hey man.. you gotta get over here. A paradise. Even when they catch you nothing happens. We don't understand it! Ha Ha HA...Amazing . We're raking in $$$$ a day! can u believe it? "

The organized (petty) crime here is out of control, but they ARE dismantling a few of the clans occasionally. Whether the judge later does anything, is another question. The police tend to be fairly disappointed in the consequences these parasites pay.. the thieves even laugh when they leave the police station, sneering at the police who took them in.
(Have been told this first hand by a policeman friend in VLC)

"As he did so the louse picked his back pocket"

A wallet in a back pocket is an easy mark for a pickpocket.

I have violated rules 1-4 during travel, including the four months I worked in Barcelona. Nothing happened to me until now though this might simply be luck.

Still I believe that it suits me better if I leave everything in the hotel which is difficult to replace (as for example the passport) and take only some cash and one credit card with me. If this was gone, I'd curse the thief, but life and the vacation would go on.

oh...I didn't see the bit that said the wallet was in his back pocket...well that was a bit daft.....horrid for you knowing that this has happened to your boy, but a little common sense goes a long way.

Been to Madrid many, many, many times. Never a problem; not even a bad look on my direction! I was pickpocketed while shopping in Viana do Castelo (Portugal), one of the most quaint, nicest villages I have ever been to. Go figure.

I agree you should be proactive and take necessary precautions. Not placing your wallet on your back pocket is advice that has been around for about a hundred years. Your title "Another Barcelona Scam" could also be titled "Another dumbass 20something".....

I agree with LIncasavona the reality is that there is a lot of pikpocketing in Barcelona and Madrid, the fact that someone has not been robbed means really nothing because we are not saying that everybody is being robbed by professionals in subways etc but a high percentage.
People should be aware of this reality.
I venture to say that in my experience I have been lately in small towns like Tordesillas who the local people have told that in recent years they are being robbed in ways they never dream possible, so the owner of the cafe in the main plaza told us, how they distracted him and even his cell was stolen, the owner of the beauty shop how a group of grown ups and children got into the shop one day, only for her to realize later that most customers had been robbed ...new times ? guess so, because in that small town of Castille apparently people used to live with their doors unlocked....not anymore...reality must be faced.

<<I lost money as I slipped it off as it was very uncomfortable and left it behind on the steps! It was handed in to the bar I was outside, with passport>>

Sorry, I don't get this. How would money fall out of your money belt? Didn't you keep it zipped or closed with a velcro fastener? Apparently you also kept your passport in the belt -- no wonder it was uncomfortable. I always leave my passport locked in the hotel safe or in my suitcase.

It's hard for me to understand someone wearing a money belt and then taking it off and walking away leaving it behind.

<<you don't see the inhabitants of Barcelona all wearing money belts....>>

Of course not, they live there and are not carrying large amounts of cash, passports and credit and ATM cards and walking around with cameras and guide books and/or maps.

I'm headed to Barcelona for the first time and I'm curious if pickpockets tend to thrive mainly on Le Ramblas and the metro? Not that I'll let my guard down anywhere. I'm safety conscious even in my hometown.

If you take Graziella's example of the beauty parlor, a very old unfortunate trick here.. and place it,let's say, in small town Kansas.. a similar set-up to this small town in the middle of no-where she is talking about... can you imagine if a group of people entered a beauty parlor.. then had robbed everyone.. and they are still walking the streets?


The kids.. because they are minors. the adults.. because the police found NOTHING on them.. and if they did, if it is under a certain amount, they just put your parasitic name on a list til next time.

People in small town Spain are realy going through changes.

I just saw an interesting video on the news of the thieves working Las Ramblas and metros.

Some belong to a huge mafia.. two were arrested the other day. Hope they deport them (No, they are not Spaniards).

Atocha is another popular one.. 400,000 people travel to and from and through there every single day!

Just please be EXTRA careful and enjoy your trip.

Luisah, I was a numpty! Wearing the belt wasn't what I normally do so I forgot about it. The money didn't fall out...it was either lifted by the person who handed it in to the bar, someone at the bar who then handed it to the police, or the police themselves....kindly they left the passport! I got the money back (except £50) from my insurance policy and resolved not to be so stupid in future.
I imagine that people in Barcelona do carry around ATM and credit cards..I do all the time at home, but not large amounts of cash...why would you carry a large amount about your person?
I'd rather carry a wallet, as I do at home, either in my hand, or in a bag/rucksack, tucked safely away under my arm. I also keep my camera in a bag with my guidebook, which I pull out when I need it and then put it away.

Your kid shouldn't have been carrying his wallet in the back pocket. This is Hide Your Money 101 for travel in Europe.

I agree with #2 and 3 on your list, but #1 is ridiculous and #4 is a question of taste and perspicacity. If you want to look like a dork tourist, wear the belt. In Lisbon in '97, one of my fellow travelers still suffered a pickpocket attempt from his money belt. I never wear one, never have been picked (sound of wood knocking), have been to Europe many times.

And I never put my wallet in my back pocket. Might as well wear a "free wallet here" sign above my butt.

Some interesting comments, particularly from Lincasanova and Graziella. My suggestion re talking to strangers was intended as a warning to be wary of people in relation to circumstances. Clearly if someone says "good morning" it doesn't necessarily mean they are going to kill you! :)

<<If you want to look like a dork tourist, wear the belt.>>

You wear the lightweight belt under your clothes; why would you look like a dork tourist? We're not talking about waist packs (fanny packs). No one should see it. If you need to get money you do it in privacy, like in a restroom stall. You don't pull it out on the street -- pretty much defeats the purpose.

I take enough money from the belt for the day in the hotel room and put it in a small wallet. I rarely need to go into the money belt outside the hotel. To each his/her own, but this works for me.

The good news is that authorities are really trying to do something about it. Almost everyday we have news clips of the theivery going on in certain areas of Spain. ( Just saw one again a few minutes ago)

Madrid, (between SOL and Atocha and metros) and Barcelona( EL Ravel area) and some streets of Valencia are the most dangerous ones in Spain for theft.

Today the shopkeepers and vendors near these areas said they have "HAD IT". A kiosk owner near the Thyssen and Prado says it is a constant stream of tourists being pickpocketed DAILY.

Hopefully this time next year we will not have to read so many warnings. That would make me, for one, very very happy.

Congratulations to those who have travelled with no consequences. These warnings are not necessarily for YOU, but for the more innocent, naive happy traveller who may not yet have understood street smarts for big cities across the globe.

"These warnings are not necessarily for YOU, but for the more innocent, naive happy traveller who may not yet have understood street smarts for big cities across the globe."

Thankyou Lincasnova, I couldn't have put it better myself. ((F))

Hi lincasanova, I agree with the touch of irony, I have news for those less naive, cleverer people: do not think you are that clever and that sophisticated....

I think we in the States are somewhat naive when it comes to pickpockets.It has been going on for years in Europe.The pickpocketes are,for lack of a better word, professionals-amazing!
Last summer I was on a Madrid bus on the Castellana and it was very crowded.Suddenly, a Spanish lady started screaming that she had been robbed.Unfortunately, it happened to be just as the bus pulled up to the bus stop, the doors opened and off jumped the thieves.Another crime I witnessed was at 8AM.I came around the corner to cross the street at Principe Pio and came across what I thought was abunch of kids in a scuffle.It turned out to be 2 teenagers who had tackled a man to the ground and robbed him.The taxi drivers who were standing around ran off after them .I truly was shaken up because I have never witnessed a crime taking place.
For quite some time I think Spain was just overwhelmed with this surge in crime and the police turned a blind eye.I have noticed a police presence in the Plaza Mayor and there are even police on horseback patrolling the busy streets.Last summer I couldn't find out what was going on but the police were there in numbers at the Plaza de Paja near the Cava Baja.

On the other hand, my wife and her sister walked the Camino and stayed in refugios with co-ed dorms. She never once felt afraid but would never stay in the same configuration in the States.

On one trip to Sevilla, maybe 20 years ago, we saw three streets crimes in 4 days. Last year I stayed on the Plaza Santa Ana in Mdarid and down by El Ravel in Barcelona and had no problems.

There is now a thread on this board about someone having their passports stolen in Paris.

That is why is called random street crime and one must be aware of one's surroundings.

worldinabag, thanks for posting this. Sorry to hear about what happened to your son! I have a few friends who have also lost their luggage/camera/wallet due to theft in Barcelona.

Hi Nancita

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm sorry to hear about your friends' misfortune too. I loved my travels in Spain and can't wait to return to this fabulous country. It is a pity that a handful of low life people spoil the positive reputation of the majority.

It has been going for centuries in Europe (Oliver Twist was written in 1838) and also the US....

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pickpockets-.../dp/0393061906

My Mum taught me how to keep my bag safe in London when I was a kid....it is something to be aware of, but not obsess about, I feel.
It's worse in European cities at the moment, but still happens in the US and many other countries too.

<<There is now a thread on this board about someone having their passports stolen in Paris.>>

The woman put her wallet down on a counter in a shop and someone grabbed it and ran. She had passports, cash and credit cards all in the wallet. The title "passports stolen in Paris" is misleading.

I have never been pickpocketed, but I am not careless and just don't do things where I could be. I also am not so oblivious to my belongings as a lot of people are. Now, I don't wear a money belt in most places but I still have never been pickpocketed. FOr people who are careless and don't pay attention and don't want to think about this, yes, it is a good idea. I choose not to as I really hate them. Yes, sorry, they are uncomfortable. Wearing this thing around your waist -- well, frankly, it would not be very possible for me to wear such a thing at my waist as my jeans wouldn't fit.

There are some obvious things missing from that list, however. First, I think the idea of not talking to strangers would need amendment, as I do talk to them -- I do not talk to them on the street, however, nor much in the metro or train station, places like that where they are asking you stupid things, etc. I also do not agree that you are always being sized up for pickpocketing -- this is an exaggeration, although is more true in some locales and in public transportation, around tourist sites, things like that.

But what is missing, which is a very prime cause and what this kid didn't do -- be very wary about people who are accidentally spilling/dropping things, etc. This is just so obvious. I wouldn't ever pick up a dropped cigarette for someone, anyway, I don't get that. If someone drops it, they can darn well pick it up themself. This isn't the case of some overburdened little old lady in a train station, but some young guy drinking in a bar. Why would you help them pick up dropped things?

And of course, to carry around your wallet in your back pocket in a bar is really really asking for it.