mike 202 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Morning All, Probably my own fault for not being extra vigilent, but having a purse full of money stolen by a ten year old was not what I was expecting at "Simply" supermarket in Vinaros. What happened was. Goods placed on the moving belt before the till as usual, my turn next so i moved to the other side of the scanner,and put the purse and a Euro note next to the scanner and began packing my good into the rucksac. The next person plus 10 year old in the queue must have had a device which bleeped like a security alarm, the adult and the child started to cause a fuss and the till operator stopped scanning my goods to see what was going on. Eventually the rest of my goods were scanned, I paid, packed the rest of my goods and went to retrieve the purse. It was not there so I mistakenly thought that I must have absent mindendly put it into the rucksack. So the next door till was empty so I unpacked the rucksack and surprise surprise NO purse. The thieves had of course gone, but a Spanish lady said that the child, who she thought was with me, took the purse. Security was alerted and the Spanish lady and her husband ran to the car park with me as she said that she could identify the thieves. Who were of course long gone. Luckily my precaution of only having a reasonable amount of cash (in this case 28 Euro lost) and no cards limited my losses. I have admitted my stupidity in falling for this distraction scam, But it is a cautionary tale which even if it only helps one other person will be of some compensation. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Having been a victim of distraction theft in the same country I know exactly how you feel. Getting over it is a lot easier said than done and you have my sympathy. I think it's known by most here now that virtually all my touring is in the East or ex-eastern bloc countries and i'd recommend you switch your travels/touring there. As an example a few weeks ago I was in a very rural area of Bulgaria.....the type of which many people would see as "poor" because the locals are not surrounded by the usual expensive consumer goods. They wouldn't have the money to buy them anyway. I'd had a snack and a few espressos at a little Coffee bar and left a tip for the young girl who served me. Imagine my surprise when on leaving she came running after me shouting something (in Bulgarian of course) waving this note. One of the men there who spoke a little English told me she thought i'd forgot to pick up my change. When he explained to her that i'd left it for her, the expression on her face was worth every single BG lev. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Spain a wonderful country but you need to keep your wits about you? and not dissolve into daft holiday head mode *-) Funny that most of there incidents are attributed to east Europeans.... Mike:-D 10/10 marks for using a second wallet with little of value in it......BUT! -11 for not paying attention :D Could have been worse, your van could have been ransacked in car park whilst you shopped. That was what I was expecting to read :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 To Bulletguy, Thank you for your kind remarks it is most appreciated. Will be a lot more carefull in the future but try not to let it get to me too much To Judge, I like your witty repartee, and of course the pertinent comments I am staying for a few weeks on the Vinaros campsite, so I was using my bike. Having read tales on the forum we never both go into a supermarket and leave the van unless travelling with friends then we take turns to watch each others van. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Hi Mike, I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay! A shame that we have to be so aware of such dangers but simply an unfortunate fact of life now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I believe some of them train the kids to do it. I was mugged in Florence after using a cash machine, by 4 little children. They were only little kids, so I could overpower them easily. Nevertheless, when they have 8 hands, and you only have 2, you soon discover you can't keep their hands out of your pockets for long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 money belt? mine sits under my arm pit..use it for sightseeing etc.... have had it in Bangkok where the wonderful joyous little ones come up and give you a hug and relieve you of your wallet :D (not us far to wise) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Hard luck their Mike. This seems to be happening more and more in Spain, the place is going downhill faster than my health. Seems to me to be a great place to avoid in the near future. Rarely get stuff like this in France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 rupert123 - 2012-10-05 2:30 PM Hard luck their Mike. This seems to be happening more and more in Spain, the place is going downhill faster than my health. Seems to me to be a great place to avoid in the near future. Rarely get stuff like this in France. H are you being serous! Lyon and south near Perpignan coast are notorious for this, Italy no different either *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Only place I've had a car broken into - Lyon France. Only place I've been robbed - near Lyon France Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 The car park at Carrefour Vinaros is a known place for thieves to hang out. Don't know the Simply supermarket. As an aside is the site at Vinaros still plagued with house flies as it was when I was there a few years back.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Was on the Jag forum yesterday and it looks like the highway robberies which happened to Bulletguy is now happening further South Nr Malaga. The chap said he would never go to Spain again. Shame whats happening as the people of the country were so honest in the 50's & 60's. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 If you get robbed in Spain it is your fault, If you get robbed in France it is the robbers to blame and there is no danger of getting mugged on the Barcelona ring road. Some people would have us believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 JudgeMental - 2012-10-05 2:29 PM money belt? mine sits under my arm pit..use it for sightseeing etc.... have had it in Bangkok where the wonderful joyous little ones come up and give you a hug and relieve you of your wallet :D (not us far to wise) Good idea. My problem was that it was before the Euro, you put pounds or francs into the machine to get Euros out. I kept the 3 currencies in 3 different pockets. I kept one hand firmly clamped over my wallet so they didn't get that. But they did get about £100 sterling from another pocket. I reported it to the police office by the cathedral. The policewoman told me I was the eleventh person that morning to report being robbed, and I was better off than the other ten because they had been relieved of all their money, having kept it all in one place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 JudgeMental - 2012-10-05 12:06 PM Funny that most of there incidents are attributed to east Europeans.... Not really. It's a typical racist reaction from British people who automatically blame East Europeans. That the youths who robbed me spoke fluent French did not figure in peoples minds. People were, and are totally unable to accept that no East Europeans speak fluent French. Russian, Ukraine, English or German yes.....but none speak French. During my recent travels I met a French couple who had sold up everything and turned to full-timing. His wife said they no longer feel safe in their own country and told me the incidents of thefts from motorhomes is on the increase in France and were ashamed to say that in each case (where they were caught), it turned out to be youths from their own country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 mike 202 - 2012-10-05 9:29 AM Goods placed on the moving belt before the till as usual, my turn next so i moved to the other side of the scanner,and put the purse and a Euro note next to the scanner and began packing my good into the rucksac. Spain, Italy, France, ! I wouldn't do this in UK as I would expect it to get nicked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Bulletguy - 2012-10-05 5:38 PM JudgeMental - 2012-10-05 12:06 PM Funny that most of there incidents are attributed to east Europeans.... Not really. It's a typical racist reaction from British people who automatically blame East Europeans. That the youths who robbed me spoke fluent French did not figure in peoples minds. People were, and are totally unable to accept that no East Europeans speak fluent French. Russian, Ukraine, English or German yes.....but none speak French. During my recent travels I met a French couple who had sold up everything and turned to full-timing. His wife said they no longer feel safe in their own country and told me the incidents of thefts from motorhomes is on the increase in France and were ashamed to say that in each case (where they were caught), it turned out to be youths from their own country. Dear me.........Don't call me a racist you silly man, they are 2nd 3rd generation and fluent. Spain and other Mediterranean rim countries have had a problem with gypsies/east Europeans for years, Some people are very quick to blame others oblivious of their own stupidity... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted October 6, 2012 Author Share Posted October 6, 2012 Hi Mike88, Re the flies it has not been problem in the last couple of years, we normally stay for 4 weeks in April/May and the same in Sept/October. The Supermarket is the one just before the town and a few yards off of the N340. It has the fuel station and is between between ALDI and LIDL , it has been renamed as Simply but is still part of the Auchan group. Always wondered about Carrefour and have always used 2 locks for the bikes with a cable loop locking all of the quick release wheels together whenever we leave the bikes. Don't know if my nerves could take leaving electric bikes, but we are considering them. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 take the battery and seat with you in a ruck sack (as well as locking them up) an electric bike without battery/charger/seat not such a good proposition for selling on..... problem these days is pro thieves are using cordless disc cutters with diamond blades...meet one of these chaps and the bike is gone, however good the locks. So you need to make it as unattractive proposition as you can *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek pringle Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 hi Mike, whilst on a break in Rome, my wife and I were on the metro on the way to the Vatican and I was relieved of my wallet while standing among 3 or 4 nuns, obviously do not think it was the nuns but as people get on and off the train there is a lot of juggling for position. Luckily enough I had [for the first time] left my cards and any money i did not need in the hotel safe. A kind person on the train took me to the guard and informed him of my plight and the guard gave us a ticket to do for the rest of the day to carry on our journey. We did however use it to go straight back to the hotel as we were left without a euro. some good people some bad hey cheers derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs T Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Mr T says, The facts are many parents train their children to steal, thats all nationalities including the UK. Its up to the individual to make themselves safe, there's no excuses. Those who are robbed are the very ones that encourage them to steal by openly making themselves or their goods available. Remember a robber can be any age, male or female and they don't have the word ROBBER stamped on their forehead, some wear the very best clothing too ! And who would question someone dressed as a Nun ... I WOULD ! MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postnote Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Maybe if we were allowed to shot the little barstewards, it might help deter them :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 I see we are once again graced with the presence of an escapee from mastermind...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minstrel Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 derek pringle - 2012-10-06 11:16 AMhi Mike,whilst on a break in Rome, my wife and I were on the metro on the way to the Vatican and I was relieved of my wallet while standing among 3 or 4 nuns, obviously do not think it was the nuns but as people get on and off the train there is a lot of juggling for position. Luckily enough I had [for the first time] left my cards and any money i did not need in the hotel safe. A kind person on the train took me to the guard and informed him of my plight and the guard gave us a ticket to do for the rest of the day to carry on our journey. We did however use it to go straight back to the hotel as we were left without a euro.some good people some bad heycheersderek Don't assume it wasn't the nuns. In Rome we saw nuns begging for money, bent almost double over their walking sticks, but if you saw their faces and hands, they were young women, probably no more than 30. Some years ago, when on an organised trip to Rome, several people on our tour were robbed and we were recommended if using a bag, use a shoulder bag, put it diagonally over and with the opening part facing in to the chest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Minstrel - 2012-10-06 1:34 PMderek pringle - 2012-10-06 11:16 AMhi Mike,whilst on a break in Rome, my wife and I were on the metro on the way to the Vatican and I was relieved of my wallet while standing among 3 or 4 nuns, obviously do not think it was the nuns but as people get on and off the train there is a lot of juggling for position. Luckily enough I had [for the first time] left my cards and any money i did not need in the hotel safe. A kind person on the train took me to the guard and informed him of my plight and the guard gave us a ticket to do for the rest of the day to carry on our journey. We did however use it to go straight back to the hotel as we were left without a euro.some good people some bad heycheersderek Don't assume it wasn't the nuns. In Rome we saw nuns begging for money, bent almost double over their walking sticks, but if you saw their faces and hands, they were young women, probably no more than 30. Some years ago, when on an organised trip to Rome, several people on our tour were robbed and we were recommended if using a bag, use a shoulder bag, put it diagonally over and with the opening part facing in to the chest.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Some years ago, when on an organised trip to Rome, several people on our tour were robbed and we were recommended if using a bag, use a shoulder bag, put it diagonally over and with the opening part facing in to the chest.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I had this same advise from a local in Ireland so don't assume your safe anywhere . :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.