I think it appropriate to add yet another warning for those who drive in Barcelona. We were departing the City when suddenly we were alerted to a flat tire by both the car’s tire monitor and also by a motorbike traveling alongside us as we were about to enter the motorway. I had earlier noticed a motorbike immediately behind and to the right of the car when we stopped at a traffic light, but made no connection. He signaled to us not to take the route I was aiming for to get off the road, and so we followed his directions to take a quick turn to a quiet street that seemed ideal to deal with changing a tire. As this was a leased car from the French short-term lease program, our license plate was red, easily noticed from a distance as a lease. Very soon after we started to deal with trying to find the spare / jack / tools on the Citroen, a local guy appeared on the scene and conveyed that he could not speak English but that he would help up get the spare on. We had unloaded our luggage from the car to get the tools, and he consulted with a YouTube video to see how to remove the spare. Shortly after another local appeared, offering broken English about where to find a tire repair shop, and also pointing out a very tiny wire or nail in the center of the tread that was surely the cause of the flat. There were 4 of us in the car, and apparently we all were not paying as much attention to the car as we were concentrating on getting the spare on. At the end, even I tipped the fellow who was so enthusiastic (almost excessively) to finish the job. When he drove off, he waived and smiled that he had helped us out. Two minutes later we discovered that two backpacks that were inside the car the whole time were missing…The confusion was our downfall, and their opportunity, but they were very slick.
The local Police office we not far away, and the senior officer who they summoned immediately asked us if we happened to have seen a motorbike direct us to a safe place to change a tire. We later learned from the tire shop that the sidewall had been stabbed, ruining the tire, and setting up the heist. The Police says that it happens at least twice a month, by a very organized crew that use two different spots to steal from tourists. The tire shop said that they see it monthly, and our traveling companions from Norway learned that many with plates from outside of Spain have been similarly targeted. At least we did not get hurt, but just that morning we were commenting that we didn’t experience any hint of being targeted by pickpockets while spending a total of 5 days in Barcelona. I will not visit there again.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7942 posts
I’m so sorry you were robbed by the crooks. You’re thoughtful and kind to share the experience and warning with everyone on this Website.
Will you be affected by the damage to the original tire - is that going to cost you extra with the Citroen lease company? Were any of the contents of the backpacks essential, and are they having to be replaced while you’re over there? As you say, things could’ve gone even worse, but they sure could’ve gone better. Apparently it’s risky to accept “help.”
Posted by
OP
44 posts
One of the backpacks contained the passports for our two Norwegian friends, car keys, etc. The worst loss to my wife and I was the detailed trip diary that she was keeping of the whole 5-week trip. Probably in a dumpster, but we aren't letting it spoil the last 5 days of the trip. In beautiful Tarragona, at a hotel that is way above our pay-grade (H10 Imperial Tarraco), but it's certainly helping erase the bad experience we had. We definitely will be avoiding any un-solicitated "help", sad to say.
Posted by
Paris
7304 posts
Thank you for sharing... sorry about this unfortunate experience!
This "tire slashing" has been going on for years (if not decades), and the authorities' inability to keep it in check (together with the all-too-frequent muggings and pickpocketing) is a sorry state of affairs indeed...
And, frankly, even if you had known about this type of assault beforehand, it is very hard to defend against!
Posted by
136 posts
Wow. That is scary. Thank you for sharing your experience in an effort to help others.
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
So sorry that you had such a bad experience in my hometown! Both petty and violent crime have been on the rise in the city in recent years. Barcelona is not the city it used to be even 10 years ago 😢
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8883 posts
@Carlos. The same thing can be said about most major cities……
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
@Carlos. The same thing can be said about most major cities.
Maybe in the United States, but in Spain actually crime rates as a whole are on the decline.
It's Barcelona that's the major outlier. Many of my friends and family have moved out of Barcelona city and have found greener pastures in the towns and communities surrounding the city, like Sant Cugat and Sabadell.
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/ESP/spain/crime-rate-statistics
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8883 posts
Wow, obviously hit a nerve. Did not mean to hijack this thread in anyway. Please don't take away from the OP's important post by commenting any more on my comment. I was thinking of my own major city, Seattle, and there is no doubt that it has changed tremendously over my lifetime, and particularly in the last 10 years.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6790 posts
Carol is spot-on. Seattle is no longer the "nice" place it was just 5 or 10 years ago, the difference is like day and night. Sadly, a lot of the same problems exist in many large US cities, and around the world too.
Back to the OP's unfortunate experience in Barcelona: Very sorry this happened, glad you didn't let it spoil your trip.
While this particular scam has been around a long time and is pretty well-publicized (I've been reading about it here on this forum for many years) it's not quite as well known as many other scams (the "found" gold ring, bird poop, escalator pile-up, the classic jam-and-jostle, etc. etc.).
The dead giveaway in ALL these scams are an excess of "helpfulness" and that welcome but still nagging feeling that "gee, this is awfully nice, maybe too good to be true..." If that doesn't completely set off your scam alarm siren, it should at least move the needle on your BS Detector into the yellow zone.
I take a LOT of pictures both at home and when abroad. Anyone who is THAT helpful deserves to be photographed. You want to help change my tire? Oh, how sweet of you, lets get a picture of us together for my scrapbook (and one of the license plate on your scooter that was conveniently nearby when this happened)! You found my lost golden wedding ring on the sidewalk? Brother, come here, stand next to my wife, let me get your picture! Before you help me clean that bird poop off my jacket, lets snap a selfie together, you kind soul...
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33842 posts
as long as they don't take the camera too
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7159 posts
Sorry it happened to you. Not the way you wanted to spend you vacation.
Because of the crime, even in broad daylight, we won’t even go into Baltimore or anywhere in Washington DC except the mall area. Until the cities get it under control, I’ll spend my time elsewhere.