Just like to inform everyone about the two thieves who are working the Plaza Espana in Seville.
Last Tuesday whilst enjoying the sunshine at the Plaza we saw them in action on one bungled bag theft,they work the steps in the middle of the Plaza and it goes like this, one of them is pretending to take a picture with his mobile phone whilst distracting the victims the other attempts to steal their bag, they are both smartly dressed in t shirt and polo shirt and shades, 5 minutes after being thwarted they were back again looking for another victim,they also prowl the big wheel which is in the park behind, I wish people would be more vigilant with their belongings.

Thing is, many tourists come from countries where pick-pocketing and purse-snatchings almost NEVER happen and so people are not so vigilant with their valuables. Add this to the probability that these tourists are carrying large amounts of money, credit cards, AND passports (VERY valuable on the black market). The stream of rich, unaware tourists never stops flowing at tourist spots around the world.

Thanks for the explanation of their "craft". Hopefully someone will read this in the future before going to Seville's Plaza de España and will be more careful.

Saludos, MadridMan

blueterrier

I am going to copy your message and posted at
Slow Travel\'s forum .

Since they have a thread about scams when you travel.

And thank you for sharing this importantt information!

Bill

After hearing all the stories about pickpockets etc and in all the years of traveling never had anything stolen we finally got "hit". Taking the train to Segovia standing in line a bag thief started going though my napsack, the only reason we know is I had stuffed in some papers to read on the trip and my wife heard them russling and turned around. Thankfully this time I had put my camera and wallet in my pouch pack or they would have been gone.

My sister in law is very strict about locking her napsack up. This one time she didn't (and had her wallet on top) but they were put off by the lock sitting there.

So I'm looking around for a good combo lock for my napsack.

It's amazing to me that so many tourists are unaware of these problems. Every tourist guidebook mentions the pickpockets and that you should be vigilant. Preparedness is SO important when travelling.

Tim, the sharper image and brookstone both have nice looking, simple, and small locks that work great with backpacks. No too expensive either.

Thats if they even bother to read those chapters.

There should be a big fat warning on page one of every guide book. Stating:

Try not to display this guidebook in public places. It act like a neon sign screams "TOURIST" to those who like to pickpocket or steal from you.

Bill

To blueterrier:

Did you report that to the police, or you were just wachting?

We found a guardia civil just outside the park and relayed the story to him, alas his reaction was that they would look into it but they have to catch them in the act t be able to do anything.

We found a guardia civil just outside the park and relayed the story to him, alas his reaction was that they would look into it but they have to catch them in the act to be able to do anything.

That is true, but if the victim recognizes them and tells that to the Guardia Civil, the guards would arrest them and question them at the Police Station. Another good method to cacth these criminals would be to just sit down on a bech with your camera and take a video of their actions.

Anyway these criminals are usually well known to the police as they usually operate always in the same places and in most cases have been arrested many times before. That is why they focus on tourist becasue they know tourist almost never come back. It is very unlikely for these criminals to steal from a Spaniard living there because if you are robbed let's say at the Plaza España one day and you come back to the Plaza España 3 days later you will find the SAME criminals in the same place again, and it would be so easy to get them.