classified

Hi, hope this will help other people. After shopping at Iceland in Fuengirola and leaving to take my trolley full of Xmas goodies yesterday, a woman who had been asking for money sitting outside Iceland followed me.
I started to pack my shopping into the car and she was hovering around, she was passing things to me to put into my car, I kept my purse out of site.
When I had finished I went into my purse to offer her a couple of euros, she then very quickly put her hand into my purse and stole a 20 euro note.
I was really angry, I tried to look where she was running to and she entered the Burger King. I finished locking my car up and ran to Burger King she had purchased some food and I grabbed her, and I asked the staff to call for the police, she threw herself to the floor and banged her head, people thought I had done it and she just lay there, no one helped me, even an English couple, after I had told everyone what she had done, they still just gawped at me, then the English kindly walked out of the unit not wanting to get involved.
The Manager of Burger King said this was his business and he did not want this happening on the premises, he said you English come over on holidays and cause trouble. I told him I had lived in Spain for 12 years and pay my taxes, I am also entitled to help, then I said so you are going to let her go and he came right up to my face (very brave of him considering he was 6ft tall and I a woman of 5ft 2ins) and said shut up, you caused this by punching her in the face. (See how things can be changed).
The woman then went to leave the premises shouting at me as if she was entitled to take my money. I left the premises and another man helped me chase her, again she threw herself on the floor and acted dead.
The police arrived and wanted me to go to the police station and make a report but it can only be done the following day with a translator even though I spoke Spanish to explain what had happened.
It was now 2 hours later, I was all shaken up, I told them I would leave it as I just wanted to get home (Antequera) and it was getting dark and there was no way I would get my money back. I also went into Iceland to tell a member of staff that they should not allow beggers outside their shop and what had happened.
It wasn't the money but the principle, one thing I have learnt is to make sure these beggers do not follow me to my car and I will never have a meal at Burger King again.
The female begger was slim very dark hair, wearing a small leatherjacket, those flowery baggy indian trousers and carrying a pink rucksack.
Please be vigilante, I look back now and know I was careless as she could have had a knife or an a accomplice.

Bigmomma1

I trust that you are okay after your ordeal ? There is no way of condoning this woman's actions and her 'acting' ploy of faining injury is obviously well rehearsed. However, it is also worth considering that she could probably have run anywhere and escaped, but she ran straight to 'Burger King' and by the time you caught up with her, she had actually ordered food, so perhaps she really was starving !! Not, that this in any way means that her behaviour is acceptable.

We have a chap who regularly sits at the trolley park outside the local ALDI store, which for him is quite practical as anyone who feels they wish to make a donation generally use the €1 coin they use to get the trolley and toss it into his cardboard collection box. However, there are two things about this chap that make me smile, reading his handwritten note on his bit of cardboard it says that he 'is looking for a job', not very hard if he is sat for hours in a Supermarket car park in my opinion, and secondly, on one occasion his mobile phone rang and he engaged in quite a jovial conversation with the person on the other end, now it could have been a prospective employer, or the job centre, calling him, however, his stance, his tone of voice and his constant laughter made me doubt this. I have no doubt that there are some 'genuine' people out there who are driven to begging rather than starve.

la mancha

If the scum was starving she would have accepted the 2 euros, not stolen a 20 euro note, and gone back to Iceland for more from others.

newpower

Why did you let her help you put things in your car?
People should not encourage these beggars and then complain, just toss a Euro for them as you leave in future and you will have no problems.

Dick Dasterdly

Possibly there are some genuine cases, but I prefer not to trust any of them, keep my distance and be on my guard at all times.

I've seen far too many disgusting street scams during my time in Spain than to do any other.

classified

The simple answer to your reply, I was scared, if I had asked her to move away she most probably with her manner have caused me more harm, no way did I encourage her. I was saying no thank you in Spanish. And as for just tossing my money why should I.

classified

I am so glad that you can accommodate your smiling chap.

classified

Thank you for your understanding.

classified

Its obvious from the other replies that I should pay up and keep quiet and not warn other people, any way your comments have been noted and I will be on my guard from now on, whether they smile or not, after her meal, no doubt the rest of the money went on drugs or drink.

jimenato

Yes - I never let anyone near me when loading my car in a supermarket in Spain - I've heard too many bad stories (true ones, first hand from close friends). To let someone actually help you load your car is inviting trouble, sadly.

I have sympathy though, it's far easier for me to get heavy as I am big and loud and ugly and a man. Must be more difficult for a woman.

casa del sol

There are desperate people in this world, giving them money is treating the symptoms not the causes......I would say it was down to the supermarkets allowing begging and bad behaviour on their premises....

Bigmomma1

No, please do not misunderstand me. I neither condone what this woman did to you, starving or not, it was totally unacceptable. I was merely attempting to mark a 'possible' difference between someone who stole just for the money to someone who 'may' have genuinely stolen because they were starving. They grabbed the first note they could, it could have been a €5, €10, or even a €50 but I would suggest that they just grabbed randomly. However, and please believe me, I am not saying that what she did was right, irrespective of her reasons and I did not wish to offend you by thinking that I did.

As for accommodating the 'smiling chap', he didn't get anything from me, not even a look of acknowledgement !!

bxpuser24710519

I hope you are alright. I feel the same about the awful man who bothers, with menace, people in a car park where I live. He scares me and am not an easily frightened woman.
In Sevilla the rosemary stealers/ sellers who try and get you to take it, want paper money the minute you put your hand out. and will grab it from your purse should you open it. I used to stare straight at them and say no and then put my hand up flat palm towards them. If they continued I shouted deje de molestar ! they move away.

BEVS

What a totally rotten thing to happen classified.

I do hope you are feeling a bit better about the whole thing now.

Doesn't sound like a person reduced to begging to feed themselves does it. More an out and out aggressive opportunist thief.

petew

If someone is hanging round your car boot, close it immediately and tell them very loudly in your best spanish to *******. Never show anyone your purse. I know it's difficult for a small woman but I still think showing a bit of aggression is the best approach. I am sorry you had such an unfortunate experience.