General Chat

http://www.tripadvisor.com/PressCenter-i260-c1-Press_Releases.html

This is the top 10 cities published last year, guess which city was mentioned? Strangely top of the list.

Sarfend was no better,

when I was about 11, my mum n her two sisters tok me an me bruvver to Sarfend on a day out to the sea side
it happened that we bruvvers needed lifting over the wall to the beach ,
while this was happening some lowlife knicked the carrier bag with all our grub in it!!

Bob

Hello, sorry to hear that. I'd go further than Suzian saying like all cities..... I was told Barcelona is infamous for bag theft unfortunately. My friend had her bag snatched there, her sister has her bag stolen although she'd kept a careful eye on it. I think there are a few European cities that are targeted by thieves and Barcelona appears to be one. Saying that it's a most wonderful city and I loved it, I think you just have to be extra cautious.

Hi Sue

I agree Barcelona is a wonderful city and as in any city you need your wits about you.

I posted about my friends experience because I had never heard of the one with the plain clothes police officers and if it had been me I would have been so relieved that the police was on the scene and would have checked as they had suggested.

Also my friend said that they did not feel surrounded when they were in the lift it was only later when they thought how did it happen they realised what had happened.

I suppose when we are on holiday we let our guard down especially when in hot countries.

Fagin would have been proud of these scams lol

Hi Tooty

I love Barcelona and go there often. It's a wonderful place, but it IS a city, and, like all cities, it has its share of people ready to prey on the unsuspecting. Especially when the "unsuspecting" equate being on holiday in the sun with being in a thief-free paradise.

My advice to anyone who wants to visit - keep your wits about you!

The number of scams I have heard about with so called "plain clothed policemen" who, of course, show their ID! Except that not many of us would be able to differentiate the ID of the Spanish CID from a forged Tesco Clubcard.

And, if you suddenly get the sense of being surrounded, you can be pretty sure you are being surrounded by thieves.

It's no better and no worse than London, Paris or any other major city in that respect. But it's still a magical place

Sue x

My friend has just returned from holiday in Barcelona and was telling me how his partner had her purse stolen. They got on a lift with some other people who got to the back of the lift but kinda surrounded them so that my friend had to press the buttons. When my friend and his partner got back to their room they noticed her purse was missing from her zipped handbag. Because of distraction tactics they did not notice. It spoilt their holiday.

Whilst they were there they were talking to a couple from Hong Kong who were scammed in a different way. A girl made a clumsy attempt at picking their pockets when 2 plain clothed police officers approached and said that they had seen everything. They showed I.D. And told the couple to empty their pockets to check nothing had been taken. The couple took out their wallets and the "police" officers grabbed them and ran off. Very scary.

Just thought I'd share