Robbed in Madrid

[erb_duchenne]

My uncle was recently robbed in Madrid. He was reading a map and

trailing a little behind his tour group when 3 people abducted him

with a neck pinch. According to him, they were very quick and the

grip was so strong he couldn't even yell and lost conciousness

shortly after. They made away with both his digital and APS cameras.

 

The entire trip till then was on the digital (large CF card) while

the APS was on its third roll, thus he at least had some pictures to

bring home.

 

Despite that event, he's intending to get another digital and no more

film. I'm just wondering if anyone else has come across such an odd

situation.

[walter_strong3]

Hey, these things happen, especially when you are not paying attention to what's going on around you. It could happen anywhere, and it does!

[alex_lofquist]

I have travelled a lot in "third world" countries where I have been apprehensive about my surroundings. Along with all the obvious suggestions, I would recommend that

 

If possible, travel with someone that you know;

 

Stay away from gangs of children;

 

Avoid crowds;

 

When walking by yourself, occasionally cross the street to see if anyone is following you;

 

Go into stores even when you have no intention of buying;

 

Don't carry your equipment over the shoulder;

 

Don't hesitate to face someone that seems suspicious. It shows that you are alert, and may cause them to avoid you;

 

From hotels, take only taxis that are summoned by the doorman.

 

I may have just been lucky over the years, but I have never been mugged or accosted in any way. I have friends that have had loss and serious injury in the same situations and places. The only thing that I haven't been able to avoid completely is theft from my hotel room, yet it has always been relatively minor.

[Ian Taylor]

A female friend of mine was mugged in Madrid this year. It's common knowledge this city has its problems, all visitors should be aware.

[joey]

<i>He was reading a map and trailing a little behind his tour group...</i><br><br>

 

Sorry to sound insensitive, but DUH! The description screams "vulnerable tourist:" examining a map out on the streets, straggling along after a tour group, with a couple of cameras around his neck. Was he overweight and wearing a Hawaiian shirt and walking shorts, too? I'm not saying that your uncle deserved to be mugged--nobody does--but based on your description, he could have been a little smarter in his decisions.<br><Br>

 

I've been to Madrid, and a friend of mine was mugged with a knife there after he used a credit card to get a large wad of cash out of an ATM machine. I never had any problems, though, and I feel much more comfortable walking around at night there than I do in most American cities, like L.A. or NYC, for example.<br><br>

 

The moral of the story: be smart, and don't act like a tourist, and you will be safe most of the time.

[erb_duchenne]

I know muggings can occur almost anywhere. What I was pointing out was the unusual MO. The neck pinch.

 

He wasn't very far behind the group. One of the tourists turned around and saw three strangers laying him on the ground and running off real fast. They later got his account on the neck pinch, where he said he was literally paralysed and couldn't even scream, just before he totally lost conciousness.

[doug_harhai]

These professional thieves are VERY GOOD. I once visited Italy, where our tour guide was telling us to watch the gypsies, as they had 'very long fingers'--if they get within 10 feet of you, you will be missing something by the time they leave. He was formerly working as a tourism security advisor in Rome, where he advised tourists how to stay safe in the tourist areas. In the midst of giving one of his seminars to the tourists at the Coliseum in Rome, he suddenly stopped, with mouth agape, and started running after a woman who had just pick pocketed him while he was advising the others on how to avoid it!

 

I think that the neck pinch is a very rare attack. They usually are much less confrontational--they are normally experts at stealth.

 

The moral--travel with groups, don't get close to anybody, and pack very light--the more that is in sight, the more targets they have.

[andrew_lee2]

I was in Madrid recently, and found it to be no more dangerous than Paris, London, or New York, the latter two where I have lived and currently live, the former where I've spent a considerable amount of time. In fact I found it to be pleasant and delightful. I can't stress how immeasurably it's cleaned up since my last visit, in the year 2000, when it was considerably grittier. Just keep your wits about you (be aware of yourself, your whereabouts, and your belongings) and use your common sense, and you'll be fine.

[Spearhead]

Tourists get mugged from time to time here in San Francisco. I think most countries have people who will;look for tourists to rob. I've felt safest in Morocco (although they will try to steal by overcharging) and Mexico, safer than here in the US. I didn't find Madrid too bad, though, although I generally kept moving.