CLEAN UP
Holiday warning for Brits as disgusting new scam is catching out tourists in Spain
SPANISH police have warned British holidaymakers to be on their guard against thieves who have come up with a disgusting new way to steal from tourists.
Pickpockets are very common in holiday hotspots and constantly come up with new ways to distract their victims, while taking their belongings.
2
Some criminals in Barcelona have taken to spitting on tourists and then offering to clean up their phlegm as a distraction technique.
Detectives have published footage of the bag snatchers at work, showing the ruse involving two men with baseball caps on working together to target a blonde woman and a young traveller.
Both incidents occurred on Barcelona’s metro system.
In one a man in a black baseball cap is filmed spitting on the woman from behind as she buys a ticket before offering to clear up the saliva he has left in her hair.
Read More on Holiday Scams
She is seen turning around virtually instantly after feeling something hit her, but the criminal was ready for her reaction and prepared to use his good samaritan routine.
His accomplice, wearing a white baseball cap, moves in as the spitter wipes away the saliva and makes sure she takes her eyes away from a rucksack she has left on the ground that she was previously holding close to her chest.
Once his accomplice has snatched the holdall he makes signs as if to say his train is arriving and vanishes, leaving the female victim to realise she has been robbed when it is already too late.
The second incident released by police is a close repeat of the revolting tactic, with the victim this time a young man travelling with a small suitcase and a laptop.
Most read in News Travel
A man, believed to be the same person who targeted the woman, approaches him on the metro station platform and spits into the back of his hoodie.
The victim takes his eye off his belongings for a few seconds as the man cleans up his mess, while an accomplice nips in and takes the laptop away.
A spokesman for the regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force in Catalonia, which Barcelona is part of, said in a message alongside the footage: “Watch out for distractions of any kind involving strangers on public transport, the street, or wherever.
“Keep your belongings under control at all times.”
It is not yet known if the gang are believed to be acting in other parts of Spain.
The technique is similar to the "accidental spill" scam that has been used to catch out Brits in other holiday hotspots.
This trick is a two-person operation and first involves someone "accidentally" spilling something on you, like a drink or an ice cream.
Then, while they distract you by generously offering to clean you up, their partner in crime will take the opportunity to pick pockets, or steal any loose items.
To avoid this scam, travel expert Anton Radchenko, founder of , suggests that you insist on cleaning yourself up and avoid any physical contact with strangers.
He said: "Don’t let anyone offer to clean you up, and instead, tell them to keep their hands and feet to themselves."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Meanwhile, tourists in Rome have warned about a photo scam that they say cost them more than £400.
And this travel influencer revealed another scam involving art forcing tourists to part ways with their money.
2
Topics