Beware Spain's highway robbers: Foreign Office warns holiday makers to be on alert after surge in attacks on UK cars
Monday, June 16, 2014 @ 9:26 AM
Britons heading to Spain on holiday have been warned to watch out for highway robbers targeting some of the most popular tourist routes.
Organised gangs are singling out foreign drivers heading for the coast and creating a distraction to steal passports, cash and computers.
As the summer holiday season gets under way, the Foreign Office has warned of a surge in the thefts.
It says most of the 612 emergency travel documents issued by British consulates in Spain this year followed motorway attacks and has released a video showing footage of robberies and some of the tactics used.
Gangs often flag victims down, indicating there is a problem with their car.
While one robber gets out to distract the tourists, their unseen accomplice steals documents, money and valuables from the car before making a swift getaway.
While there have been isolated incidents in the past, officials say gangs are now operating routinely along the coast between Barcelona and Alicante, across Andalucia in the south and in the Madrid region.
Spanish police have had to deal with 126 British victims of distraction thefts on one motorway – the busy AP7 from the French border to Valencia – in the past two years.
Another main highway where cars with GB number plates or rental stickers are being targeted is on roads from the northern ferry port of Santander to Madrid and further south to Spain’s popular beaches.
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Read more: DailyMail