Bogus gas inspectors, the famous flower sellers, the puncture ploy, the ‘broken ATM’, the spillage and other regular scams tend to increase during the peak holiday seasons and it is always sad to see people fall victim to the con artists. Here is an account of a recent incident in Málaga sent in by Mike:
“I believe your readers may like to be made aware of a scam I experienced when I took some friends from Nerja on a site-seeing tour of Malaga recently.
We were walking in the area of Calle Granada when we were required to make a diversion along Calle Beatas. Stopping to look at my city map a quantity of what I initially thought were bird droppings appeared to have come from above an apartment block and landed on my head and ran down my back.
A man (with a dog) appeared from the apartment doorway entrance and another man in the street, who apparently had seen what had happened, came over and remonstrated with the other man that somebody had thrown liquid on to me from above. However, they finally agreed that the source must have been a bird. (Afterwards I realised that the quantity of droppings could have only come from an albatross with a serious problem!).
As I was covered in mess the man from the street offered to show me a local bar with a cloakroom to clean up. In the cloakroom he even helped wipe down the back of my shirt. It was only after he departed (having thanked him for his ‘good Samaritan efforts) that I realised I had been pick-pocketed with some 90 euros having been removed whilst he had been helping to clean my shirt. It then became only too obvious that the two individuals involved had set up the whole scam.
It is also worth noting that I found it virtually impossible to register this crime with the Police without my incurring further costs for a translator at the Nerja Police Station or by making a premium rate telephone call to Madrid to obtain a translation of the crime as well as then travelling to the nearest National Police Station in Velez Malaga to agree a statement.
I guess the moral of my story has to be ‘Never trust a stranger who offers to help you!'”