Thieves of Barcelona

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TARGET="_top" TITLE="Med Cruising"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> back to  <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Med Cruising"><U><B>Med Cruising</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=398 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B>Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves</B></div> <div> <B>Courtesy of Doug on Mindemoya with some augmentation by Dakare</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Here are some of the more prevalent assaults on your cruising kitty that you may find in Barcelona:</div> <bR> <div> <B>1.  The gypsy woman with the baby.</B>   A gypsy woman who appears to be holding a baby in her arms confronts you and begs for money.  Getting up close and personal, she reaches for your pockets as if begging in an impassioned manner.   Suddenly you realize, if you are lucky, that she has both hands going for your pockets under the baby who has not fallen to the ground because he/she is strapped into a sling to free her mother's hands.   Babies make good cover so you can't get a clear view of what her hands are doing.  The women who specialize in this usually hang out near the credit card cash machines that are frequented by tourists.</div> <bR> <div> <B>2.  The woman with the flower.</B>    Tourists enjoying the city are greeted by a woman who tries to put a flower in their pocket claiming it is free and that it is a gift to invite the tourist to a dance/music recital at one of the major squares in the city.   The woman reassures you that the flower is free and asks for a "foreign coin" as a souvenir.   She holds out a small coin so you will get the idea.   Now she starts going after your pockets attempting to put her hands in to, "find a coin".   At this time you either tell her you have no coin, are not interested, are on to her, or loose your wallet.  She tried this one on me two days in a row and was really hurt when I told her to stay away.</div> <bR> <div> <B>3.  The Barcelona Metro Escalator Scamper.  </B> You have just left a metro train and got on the escalator to go to the street.   As you reach the top, the person ahead of you either stumbles or drops something and bends over.   The person behind you pushes you and you fall or stumble.  The person behind then helps you regain your balance and coincidentally removes your wallet from your pocket.   Variation A.  You rush to get on a metro train just as the doors close.  The person ahead stops just inside the door which forces you to push them to get on.  As you are pushing to get on, his confederate who is positioned at your side, removes your wallet while you are otherwise engaged.  This one happened to me.  I immediately noticed the wallet was gone before the cartarista (Spanish for pickpocket) could move and turned to him and called him a thief and demanded my wallet.  He played innocent.  Sara began to go through the pockets of the other one and I continued to insist that he had my wallet and that he was a thief.  The car was quite full of people.  Finally when our friend began taking pictures of them my wallet appeared on the floor behind the thief.   Since he had not had the chance to get into it, our money was still there.  They got off at the next station.   I never felt my wallet being taken from my front pants pocket.  He was very good.</div> <bR> <div> Variation on this theme:  <B>The Turnstile Hustle  </B>You are about to insert your metro ticket in the metro entrance when the person in front of you drops lots of petty change.  All the flags should go up!  That was no accident.  His accomplice should be right behind you ready to help himself while you are either trying to get out of the way or more innocently, while you are trying to help the person who dropped the change.</div> <bR> <div> <B>6.  "We're the Police.  Don't Change Your Money".  </B>A young man approaches you with a map and asks for directions.   You, being a nice person and taught to be helpful, try to help.  Suddenly two "police" appear, flash badges, and begin to accuse him of trying to buy your foreign currency.   They ask to see his wallet and what is in it.  They then, still accusing you of selling dollars, ask to see the inside of your wallet.  Unsuspectingly, you comply.   If you have a large amount of dollars, they grab and run.   If not, they declare you innocent and take the young man, third member of the team, away with them to find a victim with more money.   This one was tried on us and some of our friends.   Since neither of us carries any foreign currency, and not a lot of Spanish pesetas, we were left alone.</div> <bR> <div> <B>5.  Doggie Under The Table.</B>  You and a friend are seated in a restaurant having lunch or coffee after a session of shopping or site seeing.   A person comes with a small, cute, dog.   The dog immediately comes over gets under your table.  The man comes over, calls to the dog and wiggles his finger to come.  The dog wags its tail and stays under the table.  The man continues to apologize for the behavior of the dog and continues to try to get it to come out.  You try to help.  Finally the man gestures with his hand and the dog comes out.  The man leaves with the dog.  His confederate, who came up behind you while you were distracted with the dog, leaves with the purse or back pack you had hanging on your chair.   Too late you realize that the dog was trained to stay and wag it's tail when called to come and see the owner wiggle his finger. Variation A.  You are once more seated at a table, pledged to slit the throat of any small dog that you find under your table.  A person comes by and as they pass your table, their purse or pocket breaks open and a lot of pocket change spills on the floor.  The person bends over and starts collecting the money, much of which has fallen under your table.  You bend over to help.  Guess what is being removed from your chair while you are helping.   Once your bag or pack is safely out the door with the confederate, the person who dropped the change, gets up, abandons the change and walks out the door.</div> <bR> <div> <B>6.  The Soft Touch.</B>   You are in an area with other folks, subway, corner, crowd, etc.  You feel some one touching you, maybe finger walking up your back.  You are alert to the touch and turn your head; it's crowded, to see what's happening.  Meanwhile, a confederate is busy unzipping, and pilfering your fanny pack/back pack.  Be aware.</div> <bR> <div> <B>7.  The Grab and Run.</B></div> <div> We were walking along C/ del Escudellers (which empties into La Rambla) en route to a restaurant for a Sunday lunch.  The ladies were walking together with our husbands walking ahead of us.  (in hindsight that is a mistake.  Stay together.)  Both of us gals had our small bags across our shoulders under our open jackets.  Before we knew it, we were both charged from the front.  My bag was ripped from my shoulder, having torn the skin where the strap was.  My friend's strap was also broken but they didn't get her bag.  I chased after the robbers down two alleys but couldn't catch them.  I stopped the chase when they threw my bag up in the air.  Everything was intact except my wallet, of course.  There were four of them, all young, in their teens, I would guess.  We stopped a policeman who took us to the nearest station, and within 30 minutes of the assault, the missing card and the theft was reported.  In less than three hours they had charged more than $2,600.00.  Thank heavens for card insurance.  </div> <bR> <div> This scenario also happened to Dakare and from what we can tell, it appears to be the favorite method for the less skilled and athletic thugs.  Four of were walking home to our boat from  Barcenoletta after having dinner and someone tried to rip Karen's  purse from her shoulder.  Karen screamed and bent with the thug's pull so the shoulder strap did not break.  I, Dan, being about 20 feet from began to give him chase.  He ran into a park area where there were about 7 other young men.  At that point, prudence dictated that I give it up.  The same happened to another 2 couples from our marina on New Years Eve.  In this case, the thief did not get the purse and the 2 husbands gave chase.  They finally caught him and surprisingly, let him go.</div> <bR> <div> <B>8.  What Did I Kick ?</B></div> <div> You are walking along when suddenly your foot kicks something shiny and jingly.  Being curious, you bend down to see what it is.  While bending down, a confederate of the person who threw the item down moves behind you and removes whatever is available from your back pocket/backpack or what ever.  These folks are quick so you can be lightened in a flash.</div> <bR> <div> <B>9.  Hide the Pea.</B></div> <div> There is a group of people gathered around a guy hiding a pea under three small boxes.  Several betters  seem to be winning big.  You watch and see it is easy.  The guy hiding the pea isn't so good and you easily identify where the pea is.  You are tempted.  What you don't know is that the person/s winning big are part of the scam.  They are there to lure you.  You bet and the guy's technique suddenly improves.  Actually the pea disappears along with your money.  In this game only the dealer and the shills win.</div> <bR> <div> <B>10.  What Spilled on Me?</B></div> <div> You are innocently walking along when you feel something spill on  you.  It can be Ketchup, Water or any other substance to distract you and give a good Samaritan thief the opportunity to help you clean it off.  It isn't only the clothing that they will clean.  It's your pockets.  </div> <bR> <div> A variation of this happened to a friend who was waiting for the bus to pick him up at the Montseratt Monastery.  He got something that looked like bird droppings on his jacket and immediately someone came up to him.  They made a poor attempt to clean off his coat and wiped a rag over parts of his body that were clearly not affected by the deliberately spilled, simulated bird droppings.  We have heard that this is a typical ploy used while walking around in the Borne (Old Town) in Barcelona but we have not heard of any first hand accounts - perhaps this is a good urban legend.  Someone will spill something on a passerby from their apartment window and immediately, someone in the street will come to help remove the spilt material and, as stated above, your money.</div> <bR> <div> <B>11.  The Punctured Tire Routine.</B></div> <div> This happened twice to two cruising friends staying at the same marina, Port Vell, where we kept Dakare.  On the main drag in front of the marina, on Juan de Barbou Blvd, you can expect to get your car tires kicked by someone with a sharp object/razor that is jammed into their shoe.  An accomplice, usually on a motor cycle will approach the car and inform you that you have a flat tire.  They generously offer to assist and suggest that you pull off to the side where they can help.  While surveying the damage, another accomplice, probably the one that kicked the tire, will help himself to the contents of the car.  We believe that they were especially targeted because they had an upscale, out of country (England) registered vehicle.</div> <bR> <div> <B>12.  The Pelligroso Scam.</B></div> <div> This comes in a variety of flavors, but generally the ladrones (thieves) will go up to a car that might be stopped at red light and point to the ground, usually under the car, and holler “Pelligroso, Pelligroso!!!  (Danger, Danger).  The driver gets out of the car to look at the problem and an accomplice opens the car door on the other side and helps themselves to the contents of the car.  Variation B:  The ladrones, will come up to the car and open any unlocked door and take anything they can grab and scurry away.  This happened to another cruising couple right outside the marina.  We, (Dakare), were approached the same way by a single individual while driving our rental car about 11PM.  He claimed that a cat ran under the car but even so, as hew opened the car door on our guests' side attempting to grab anything he could find.</div> <bR> <div> <B>13.  The Bad driver Scam.</B></div> <div> This happened to two cruisers from the marina and it involves someone dressed like a policeman stopping a motorist on the premise that they had committed a moving violation.  Usually, and similar to number 6 above,  they ask to see your license and subsequent to that, your money.  They actually asked “How much money are you carrying.”  They ask to see it and if you comply it will be whisked away as they head off in a direction that will be impossible for you to give chase.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>*****</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> These are all we know about so far.  They have been told to us by the victims and thus are first hand accounts.   Most of these crimes are non-violent.  Most seem to be professional thieves.  As one cruiser points out, "they ought to be good at it, they've been practicing for 2000 years."  The locals of Barcelona swear that it is not the Spanish who are responsible, but the drug addicts and the illegal immegres.  However, I (Dakare) believe that the people of Barcelona, the police and the government are all culpable since there is an air of unspoken tolerance...  it seems as long it is the tourist who are attacked, little will be done.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>There are several prudent measures that, if taken, can minimize your risk.  Most are just common sense but bear repeating:</B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="463" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#000099 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 26 WIDTH="451"><div> <B>Watch Out!!!</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 944 WIDTH="451"><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Never carry more money than you need for the particular task at hand.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Wallets should be carried in front pockets if carried at all.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Money belts or wallets/pouches carried inside clothing are safest.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">If you have and use credit cards, carry only one at a time and only if you have a specific purchase in mind.  You can get them later if you see something you want.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Keep a record of credit card numbers separate from what you carry shopping.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Hang onto all receipts that show credit card numbers.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Beware of anything unusual and put your hand on your money immediately. </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Be alert to your surroundings, especially who is close to you at any given moment.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Public awareness is your ally.  Keep a whistle handy and blow it if you feel threatened.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Yelling for help is a good tactic.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Carrying a cheap camera and taking photos of suspected transgressors will often drive them away in a hurry.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Learn how to say “leave me alone” “Stop” and “Go away” in the local language.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Be especially alert in crowds.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Stay in well-lighted areas.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">In Barcelona, do not use the Airport bus that stops at Place Catalunya after dark.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately, to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security.  The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.  The phone numbers for the credit reporting organizations are:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Equifax: 1-800-525-6285</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742 </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289 </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">.Keep your car doors locked at all times.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">If stopped by the police, especially if you believe you did nothing wrong, state that you will give them your full cooperation and insist on being taken to the police station.  Most imposters will take off under those circumstances.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">While driving a car, try timing your motion so that you don't catch a red light.  As will eventually happen, when you finally do get stuck at a red light, be aware of pedestrians approaching your vehicle.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Dress down, not up.  Look and dress as much like a local as you can.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">If  riding your bicycle in Barcelona, use two locks and take your bicycle seat with you after having locked you bike.  There are more seatless bikes in Barcelona then there are thieves and that makes for a lot of seatless bikes.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f0ffffcc00.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> Finally, remember that many victims precipitate their problems by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. </div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="winter0304.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Winter in Barcelona"><U><I><B>Return to Barcelona</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <I><B>Return to </B></I><A HREF="cruising.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cruising (1995 to the Present)"><U><I><B>Cruising</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <I><B>Return to </B></I><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Med Cruising"><U><I><B>Med Cruising</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.dakare.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.dakare.com"><U> <img src="HTMLobj-1340/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="88" height="39">  </U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>