Spanish motorway robberies on british tourist etc

It's about time the Spanish police sorted out the motorway robberies  They KNOW who the gangs are !!!

It's a disgrace  Been going on for many many years and should have tough action NOW !

So how do they happen?  

at any particular time or place?

and how does one combat it?

I am aware of MANY people inc friends, who have been robbed in the morning on the AP7 motorway just south of the French border ( daylight hours )  The gangs shoot a device at the rear of a vehicle to make it sound serious eg similar to a tyre blowout, or they wave their arms to you and toot the horn to try to make you aware there is something wrong with your vehicle This mostly takes place near to a motorway exit, so they can make a quick get away. They use stolen vehicles to hijack you eg Black Mercedes or similar 

On occasions they may follow you from a hotel, where you may have stayed overnight and target you later on the motorway. They could tamper with your tryes when you stop at a motorway services and follow you until you have to pull over for a flat tyre etc.

All frightening stuff I know !!  BUT TRUE !!!  Believe me

DON'T STOP for anyone even if they claim to be police.   shout through a small opening in your side window and hold up your mobile phone to them to indicate that you are calling the police on emergency 112

I reall believe the Spanish authorities should be ashamed of their lack of arrests, these scams and robberies have been taking place for well over 25 years and THEY MUST KNOW WHO THE GANGS ARE    BUT are they bothered ?  NO they can't be!!

 wow, worrying stuff.

Guess a shotgun muzzle poked through the slit in the window is the best deterrant.

If they say they are the police best to drive to a police point or station, if you know of them.

Thanks for the warning.

 I had our local (Spanish) blacksmith make up a batch of 500 caltrops (he knew exactly what I wanted). They are useful to put under the tyres of people who have taken your parking space, etc. I keep a bucket of them behind my seat. If encountering highwaymen, I would toss handfuls out of the window. Please, no-one bother to tell me this isn't street legal or some such crap.

Good idea  TO  BE PREPARED !!

http://www.murciatoday.com/british-holidaymakers-targeted-on-ap_7-scam._12546-a.html

 Good tip when picking up your car at the airport. Remove the sticker that says it is a hire car!!!

Mark

Absolutely Mark  

Also:

 check in the mirror to see if you are being followed DON'T STOP for anyone

Drive round the round-a-bout a couple of times to make sure

We ALWAYS DO THIS when hiring a vehicle in Spain

This happened to us twice in and around Barcelona.  The first time our tire was shot as we were leaving the port, having just disembarked from a boat arriving from Genova.  The kid on a motorbike shot our tire, then followed us.   Short thereafter we decided, without realizing about our tire, to turn in to a gas station.  As we started into the driveway of the gas station, the kid on the bike pulled in front of us and blocked our path.  He pointed to the tire, I got out, looked and saw it was going flat.  he said he would help, we pretended to follow him but as he drove away from the front of our car we turned into the gas station.  There was a Guardia Civil standing there.  I told him what happened.  He called other officers.  To make a long story short, they caught the kids (Romanians), asked us to identify them and begged us to file a police report.  Thinking this would take 1/2 hour, we agreed.  After 4 hours we still did not have the tire changed, the kid had been let go because he hadn't actually stolen anything (yet), we still had not filed the report.  After 6 hours it was finished and we proceeding on our way south, arriving in Valencia at 1am !  The Guardia Civil promised to send us a notice of the court hearing to be scheduled a few months later.  Do you think we ever heard another word ????

Returning north from Marbella 5 months later we stopped at a BIG roadside restaurant, parked our car where we could watch it and went in to eat.  While watching our car (with 2 dogs inside too), an old battered car drove up behind ours, blocking our view of our tires.  We thought that car was going to park.  Instead, it backed up all the way along the row of cars and disappeared.  At that moment I heard a Spanish man say to his wife: "They just shot their tire." And sure enough.  We saw the tire deflating.  We changed it then and then.  Someone had called the Guardia Civil who asked if we wanted to file a report.  NO !  That was the biggest waste of time ever.

More recently, a guest using our apt was driving down from the La Mairena area above Elviria (Marbella).  A Spanish man hit him from behind, forced our guests rental car off the road and demanded 300 euros.  The Canadian driver was frightened, didn't know how to contact the police, didn't speak any Spanish ... so handed over the money !  Of course, a damaged rental car with no police report probably caused him to also pay the insurance, he never told us.

Not enough ?  I read recently that Barcelona is the thief capital of the world.  Basically those who are shooting tires are thieves.  We no longer drive to Marbella, we fly.  Too dangerous.

I do not know of anyone amongst my circle of friends who has not been burgled, robbed or, in worst cases, physically assaulted in Spain.  The criminals attack all nationalities, not just the British, and it is a national disgrace.  On my urbanisation, 2 people have been killed and one Norweigian guy had his wife and kids held at knife point whilst other members of the gang took him down to the cashpoints in town to check that he'd given them the correct PIN numbers for his bank cards.  The tragedy is that the perpetrators are seldom Spanish - they are Eastern European or Moroccan by majority.

I've been told that passports can net up to 2000 € for the thieves and British passports are favourite.

If I go out on my own in the evening, I am more nervous than I ever was in the UK and I used to live in some pretty rough areas.  I just wish I could sell up and leave this country that seems to be going to hell in a handcart.

Please do not OVER REACT these incidents are FEW and FAR BETWEEN 

I personally have RENTED cars and have never had a PROBLEM 

My advice just BE WARY most people are in a HOLIDAY mood and DROP their GAURD

SOME suggestions to take the LAW into your own HANDS is not A GOOD IDEA and would only make THINGS worse

SPAIN is a great PLACE 20 million visitors A YEAR cant be wrong

Rod

We drove up from Alicante a few Weeks ago to Ireland, we took about 7 Days for the trip really enjoyed it, we bought a new Spainish Car before we left and had no problem at all, there was 4 of us travelling, we plan to drive down now in September. I think all these robberies are isolated, there are thousands of people driving up and down everyday, so I think you should take off and don't worry everything will be fine. and don't forget to dive over the the Milllau Viaduct in France on the way the higest bridge in the World amazing, check it out on the internet..... all my friends from England and Ireland have done this trip several times and they had no problem.....enjoy

We have driven many times to Spain from the UK and never ever had a problem.  I think we should keep things in perspective.  And why would anyone stop on a motorway?  I nor my husband would ever stop for anyone other than a marked police car.  As I say we have been many times and on motorways a lot when we are there for a few months, not a problem.

Think you are WRONG Rod

These scams and robberies are rife !!!

The English news isNOW FULL of warnings against driving down to Spain   600 robberies already this year on the AP7 motorway

Well PAPA

I am willing to TAKE the RISK isnt thats WHAT life is about CHOICES 

If you decide to go around roundabouts TWICE thats your choice PERSONALLY I judge things on my OWN EXPERIENCES 

I find this METHOD is more RELIABLE EVERYTHING IN life CARRIES a RISK 

Spain has its PROBLEMS YES BUT ON balance THE GOOD outways the BAD 

So IF i see a very NERVOUS person driving continously AROUND the ROUNDABOUT I will make sure to GIVE you a WAVE

Rod