vne2121

we flew back into madrid from barcelona a few days ago and i wanted to give everyone a heads up.
our flight landed in terminal 2 and after picking up our luggage and entering the public terminal area (where people wait for those that arrive), our group (5 people) were immediately targeted by a team of pickpockets that operate within barajas airport. there were 3 people in the group (2 lookout that follow behind and 1 thief) that came in between our group. i think their MO seemed to be to follow people to the moving sidewalks (you have to take them to get to the entrance of the metro) and wait until you stand still.
just FYI, my brother caught onto them so we had nothing taken. they knew we knew but they didnt care and doubled back to go back to the gate to wait for their next victims. also, there are security cameras within the airport and security does NOTHING.

within 30 minutes of this incident, we were inside the metro system, taking line T4 (only line from the airport) to connect to line 6 @ NUEVOS MINISTERIOS. Here, we were targeted by a group of thugs that seemed to be waiting for those arriving or going to Barajas airport. theyattacked us while we were hauling our luggage up some stairs. they tried to knock one person around to yank their stuff away. after a lot of very loud shouting, they didn't even bother to run and just sauntered away up to the elevator.
we tend to be people that react pretty violently and after shouting a lot of choice phrases, we were waiting at the platform for the 6 train, where they doubled back and gathered a couple more of their gang. it didnt seem like they were too intent on an altercation since it was about 8pm with A LOT of people standing there. the most infuriating part of the entire experience is the fact that spanish people seem to do nothing but stare when this is happening. NOTHING. this is shocking for us since we are from new york city where if you try to attack someone in the middle of a crowded subway/station, you will most likely be jumped by new yorkers.

so far, we have been to seville, cordoba, granada, and barcelona. we didnt have any problems with anywhere else but MADRID so PLEASE BE CAREFUL!

so here is what we gathered from our experience:
1) if you have luggage, a taxi might be worth it.
2) carry your backpack or bag in the front and lock the zippers together (i use the wire twisty ties) to make it harder for pickpockets to unzip your bag...
3) security does NOTHING. while in the subway station, we saw a couple bored looking security guards walking around and we flagged them down. we told them what happened and they barely stopped before saying ok and walking away.
4) shouting and making a commotion seemed to be a good deterrent in a crowd.

if this happens in the middle of the day with hundreds of people around, i cannot imagine what goes on when there are less by standers.

suec1

Thanks for the heads-up - I am glad you escaped unscathed. I also am amazed that these incidents go on and on and that the local security cannot put a lid on them. We were victims on one trip to Barcelona - two days later we returned to the same metro station and we could see the tricky people at work - they are NOT hard to spot when you look for them. So come on Fodorites - the spanish word for "thief" is "ladrone" - say it loud, say it proud and save your fellow travelers some misery.

CaliNurse

"we are from new york city where if you try to attack someone in the middle of a crowded subway/station, you will most likely be jumped by new yorkers. "

I LOVE NEW YORK!!!!

cruiseluv

Thank you for the heads up! I thought it was only in Barcelona that thiefs appear to function with total freedom. I am headed to Madrid in a few days and I'm planning to take a cab to the hotel. However, I have to go back to the airport the next day to meet my daughter and was planning to use the subway. I think I will not even use a purse, just put whatever I need in my front pockets. Since she has lugagge we will take a taxi back to the hotel.

The word is Spanish for thief is "ladrón".

Marsh

This is really frightening! I was planning for my husband & me to take the Metro to Charmartin station after arriving at the airport at mid-morning. We are in our sixties & will each have a rolling bag and a very small bag. Guess we will have to be on guard at all times!

brando

I've been around europe a couple of times and Madrid is the only place someone attemped to pick pocket me. Don't go crazy crime is everywher even in the states. We were not smart and almost paid for it, be smart and you have no problem.

tobyo

I am not sure why we were never approached throughout our two week trip in Spain. Maybe it was the PacSafe bags we were carrying? or that we had our 10 year old daughter with us? or perhaps the combination? Regardless, we had not one issue with pickpockets whatsoever.

I had planned on taking the metro from Atocha to Sol when we got to Madrid from Barcelona. but at the last minute I changed my mind and told my husband that I think we should take a taxi. we did that at every train station. The 3 of us each had a suitcase so it was nice to not have to lug them around from train station to hotel. and the rates were very reasonable.

sorry that you experienced what you did tho. yuck.

danon

"Thank you for the heads up! I thought it was only in Barcelona that thiefs appear to function with total freedom. "

A friend from Barcelona, who works in the travel industry, blames the Spanish law... called it "soft". The theft has to be over a certain amount for an arrest to be made . He said that even if pickpockets are caught, they just let them go.

Hooameye

"A friend from Barcelona, who works in the travel industry, blames the Spanish law... called it "soft". The theft has to be over a certain amount for an arrest to be made . He said that even if pickpockets are caught, they just let them go."

Knowing how the police in Spain operate, they are probably taking a backhander from the pickpockets!

vne2121

we think spain is a really nice place but the safety issue is a serious buzzkill...

it is true that crime happens everywhere, even in the states. however, between the five of us, we've traveled quite a bit and are all from major cities and this is the first time any of us has ever been assaulted. especially in the middle of the day with a lot of people around.

i dont know how spain can fix this problem as a country but safety and security should be somewhat of a priority, no? especially since they make a lot of legitimate money off tourism.

Cowboy1968

Marsh:
You don't need to be on guard all the times. You simply take a taxi. It's not that comfortable to change from Barajas to Chamartín with lots of luggage by metro anyway, even though it's just one change. Why ruin your nerves for a little €25 saved?

vne2121:
Spain is a big country. Most tourists here seem only to know: Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, maybe Granada. It's not a problem that the country had to fix but a problem that focuses on the two major metropolitan areas.

Asterodeia

I was in Spain, and did this exact trip from the airport to the Metro, and I had no problems at all. I think it's a matter of whether you look "lost" and like an easy-target. If you walk definitively, don't flaunt expensive items (watches, earrings, etc.), then they'll leave you alone.

And I don't think you get the same experience traveling by taxi as you do on the trains! But then, I'm biased towards public transit.

I felt very safe in Madrid. But then, every traveler's experience is different.

kybourbon

My daughter lived in Madrid for six months and watched the same gangs of pickpockets working the subway every day. She had a long commute and said it was very tiring to have to be so on guard against them daily.

>>>i dont know how spain can fix this problem as a country but safety and security should be somewhat of a priority, no? especially since they make a lot of legitimate money off tourism.<<<

They don't seem interested in fixing the problem.

Bugler

You guys should motivate the police and the politicians to deal with the problem by stop rewarding them for not dealing with it. If the tourists come to town regardless of the crime problem, what is their motivation to deal with the problem. If they start losing tourist dollars, hotel taxes, it, they perhaps they start getting motivated. The world is a big place. Perhaps travel to a location where they actually care about tourists.

cruiseluv

I disagree with ASterodeia's theory of why somebody is targeted. I have traveled to Madrid and Barcelona numerous times and have been lucky not to be mugged or pick pocketed, that doesn't mean it doesn't happen in droves. Regarding that only people that look "lost" are subject to this... I know several persons that have been victims that are savvy travelers. The OP described himself/herself as an experienced traveler. I think these gangs are getting more and more brazen.

Cowboy1968

Asterodeia:

I second your opinion.
But I see no reason for a couple in their sixties, esp. after a long intercontinental flight, to use the metro if they *think* it will be a horror trip. There is always an alternative, even against problems blown out of proportion.

I can't believe some people who post stories that each time they used the metro (as a tourist, not as a commuter!) in Barcelona or Madrid they encountered those gangs or pickpockets. I never had problems with that in a dozen trips to BCN, and 5 or 6 to MAD. But if I did, and I felt unsafe, and taxis cost around €5-10 for any downtown trip, why on earth would I use the metro over and over again? That is some form of masochism, if the solution to my awkward feeling was available at the cost of two tapas.

wren

You know, it isn't always the inexperienced/ lost looking/ jet-lagged tourist who gets targeted...we were in Geneva last month visiting some friends. My friends stressed keeping your handbag close by and being aware of pickpockets, who have become a big problem in Geneva (I think they are a problem in most cities). When they dropped us off at our hotel, we got out of the car, hugged, someone came up to her husband and asked for directions to distract him, and in that split-second, someone else reached in their car and grabbed her LV handbag. She was so mad at herself for leaving it in the car just for a second--but these were pros--they saw a nice car drive up, people focused on telling each other goodbye, and seized the moment to steal.

girlonthego

The OP is from New York City. I doubt they are novices in riding subways.
Like any big city, you must have your guard up while traveling through subways, especially if you are hauling luggage and don't know where you are going.

Fashionista

Thing is with Madrid, you don't really need the metro. I took a taxi from the airport - cant remember how much but it wasn't horrendous. When in the city everything is walk-able.

If you feel confident go for it. If not, be cautious. I posted this before but will repeat it, the only time I've been mugged for my handbag was two miles from home.

vne2121

Cowboy1968:
when we took the taxi upon first arrival into spain, it cost us 35 euros per taxi (again, we are a group of 5 so we needed 2). the price was a little steep but since JFK into manhattan is now running around 50US, yes, we can still afford it.

i am only posting this story since it just happened a few days ago and the incident INSIDE the international airport certainly did catch us off guard (considering the usual level of security in a major airport these days).

our ages range between early 20's to mid 40's, three men and two women. we obviously do not carry anything with labels or expensive. we all grew up in cities and been using public transportation all of our lives.

we did know where we were going and it was during normal hours with many people around. in both the situations, we took care of ourselves. if it's a matter of the criminals acting upon racial profiling, then there is very little i or anyone else can do about it.

look, i'm just giving people a heads up about Barajas and the metro stop Nuevos Ministerios. it's not to start a debate about whether or not we look like easy targets or blowing anything out of proportion.