are brits being targeted or is it me
 

my husband sailed from plymouth to santander when driving though madrid he got stopped by wot seemed to be a unmarked police car men in uniform got out questioned him normal ruiteen seemed like but once noticed euroes ran of with money this trip was to take are furniture to a house we have bought near sorbas almeria never had any troubles before this happened this wednesday then today he got a parking ticket in local bricolarge is this because he is in a van with english sign writting on or has he just had bac luck has the same ever happened to any one else helen

Re: are brits being targeted or is it me
 

There have been quite a few threads on here about bandits posing as police.
They target any foreign plated cars.
You should never stop for them, just drive to a crowded place, IE petrol station or police station, if they are genuine they will follow.
If he was parked in a resticted area then he was lucky just getting a ticket and not being towed away to the pound.
If the van is staying in Spain for more than six months then it must be imported or I dont think you can even import a commercial vehicle, he will get more grief from the police.
Last week I saw a whole transporter loaded with UK reg plated 4x4`s etc that had probably just been confiscated.

Re: are brits being targeted or is it me
 

It is because you are English - I've heard this Madrid story from a personal friend - people posing as cops try get you to pull over or direct you to a quiet spot where they rob you. Obviously they can see you are a foreigner. Don't stop for anyone unless they are in an official police car!

Mark

Re: are brits being targeted or is it me
 

This happened to a friend of mine travelling alone through Madrid, she pulled over and had all her money stolen and this was nearly two years ago.

She was driving a British plated car and she then did not speak any Spanish so assumed they were real police, As she has since said, the fact they went to the passenger side should have given her a clue that they were bogus. Contacted the police but all she got from them was an incident report.

pwwm

Re: are brits being targeted or is it me
 

thanks for the advice he is slowly getting over this he feels that he has dented his pride and he should of known better you all ways learn the hard way he is coming back to england in a month but the van will stay in england we will buy a small car in spain to get around in thanks helen

Re: are brits being targeted or is it me
 

This ia a common con and happens in France and Italy as well. An elderly couple I know were a few years back making their way in a campervan down to Andalucia via France, sleeping in carparks to save money. They were stopped and searced by fake French police offers, who managed to filch their credit cards. I loved her attitude which was that they were such brilliant actors they deserved to succeed!! They made it to Spain and back again, and his health was precarious to say the least. Resilience is the name of the game.......

Re: are brits being targeted or is it me
 

yes it seems to be happening all over the world you all ways think it is going to haappen to some one else but when it does you think your self lucky that you havent been attacked and in hospital when you know how hard you work to get the money it really up set you perhaps i could make more money and dress in a police uniform a couple of jobs a day and i would be rolling in it wouldnt sleep at night helen

Re: are brits being targeted or is it me
 

speaking of foreign plates, since I haven't gotten around to registering my car yet I get free parking when ever I'm in Madrid (which isn't often) today got a 90 euros ticket and laughed. I'm careful to avoid tow aways zones as then I have to pay.

Re: are brits being targeted or is it me
 

A friend was visiting us recently from the UK. He got stopped on the motorway for speeding. He was hoping that they would give him a ticket as he was going back to the UK two days later and wasn't going to pay, but no such luck. They escorted him 20 minutes down the motorway to the next town and waited whilst he got the money out of a cashpoint machine. :mad:

Re: are brits being targeted or is it me
 

And 'Brits' wonder why they get targeted???

Re: are brits being targeted or is it me
 

Hi Beachcomber,

From what the British press says it is not that easy to just "cut and run" anymore since the DLVA will sell your details to anyone with due cause.

So UK debt collection agencies are operating on behalf of foreign councils and police forces to collect fines imposed abroad plus of course their costs in UK.

Regards, :scared:
John.