Caution in Azofra

[camino07]

My friend has just posted on her blog that three pilgrims have been robbed in Azofra's Albergue today. Korean girls lost over 1000 euros each,all three were in showers when it happened!!!
Oh dear! When will they learn but so sad this is happening.

 

[Dutch]

My friend has just posted on her blog that three pilgrims have been robbed in Azofra's Albergue today. Korean girls lost over 1000 euros each,all three were in showers when it happened!!!
Oh dear! When will they learn but so sad this is happening.

I guess they forgot to pack their common sense. Not smart. It doesn't weigh anything, nor does it take up a lot of space.

It is very sad for them, yes, but the camino might be the camino, but it is still the normal world, and sadly things like this happen in the normal world. Lots of people on the camino seem to forget this.

4 things i always take with me to the shower. Money, bankcard, identity card and phone. The rest is not important enough. The rest you can buy again. Yes, a phone you can also buy again, but then it comes without the great pics and all the contacts

 

[camino07]

I agree Dutch,not smart. Obviously they don't read the forum.
Seemingly the room was near the outside door and a male pilgrim left after they went in to the showers.

 

[Saint Mike II]

I am having a hard time understanding why they were carrying such a large amount of cash. I know that in some cultures credit cards are frowned upon - cash is the only reality. However unless you are carrying your own safety deposit box I would very strongly advise against this. In all circumstances where ATM/Cash points are commonly available (Australia/USA/most of Europe) I usually have a max of two/three days cash requirements (say around E100/$150) and even this is separated into at least two storage places. I also bring with me passport/phone/most of the cash whenever I go to shower or out for a meal.
Please - if you are someone whose culture frowns on credit cards there are foreign currency cash cards (both VISA Plus & AMEX) - available in US dollars / Euros/ Japan YEN and I think Swiss Franks (as well as Aussie dollars) - they can be loaded with as much cash as you need - I think the limit is $1000 US - or equivalent currencies. So if you have to carry cash try these. Buen Camino.
(PS I hope they reported it to the police - everyone who was staying at the albergue MUST be known!!!)

 

[k1ypp]

My friend has just posted on her blog that three pilgrims have been robbed in Azofra's Albergue today. Korean girls lost over 1000 euros each,all three were in showers when it happened!!!
Oh dear! When will they learn but so sad this is happening.

camino07, Is the friends blog public? Can we read it? Is there a link?
Thanks

 

[ranthr]

Just sad!

 

[Olivares]

Every year NEVER FAILS there are more than one posting regarding substantial amounts of cash stolen when a pilgrim is in a vulnerable position; showering, sleeping, cooking. Sad, sad, sad. HOWEVER, if you feel that you need to carry such amounts of cash in today's information and technology era, then this was bound to happen to you be it in Spain, Korea, or Timbuktu. Azofra is a small village (248 population) and I kinda of doubt this was a local "job". Heartbreaking, really.

 

[Pruden]

I don't understand why someone need that much of money in cash!
Or even if you do carry it , no to keep an eye on your valuable!
Pilgrims need to know that Camino de Santiago is not paradise on earth, not is or could be as mundane as anywhere else.
I feel sorry for this girls!
Anyway Buen Camino.

 

[Bajaracer]

Asians in general have a distrust to banks and keep their money stashed in their house or on their person. Lots of home invasions in San Diego involving Asians and large sums of cash, usually $10K or above.
I visited the ATM when I got down to €50 or if it was going to be a few days before a town with an ATM.

 

[Bajaracer]

I honestly don't feel bad for this group, being a victim of theft sucks.
Why would you even travel with that much cash on you? That's what ATM/Debit/Credit/Prepaid cards are for.

 

[Warren Sly]

I guess they forgot to pack their common sense. Not smart. It doesn't weigh anything, nor does it take up a lot of space.

It is very sad for them, yes, but the camino might be the camino, but it is still the normal world, and sadly things like this happen in the normal world. Lots of people on the camino seem to forget this.

4 things i always take with me to the shower. Money, bankcard, identity card and phone. The rest is not important enough. The rest you can buy again. Yes, a phone you can also buy again, but then it comes without the great pics and all the contacts

Asians in general have a distrust to banks and keep their money stashed in their house or on their person. Lots of home invasions in San Diego involving Asians and large sums of cash, usually $10K or above and robbed.
I visited the ATM when I got down to €50 or if it was going to be a few days before a town with an ATM.

I was thinking about taking my things to the shower, including a mini iPad. Amazon sells these dry paks. This one looks big enough for passports, phones, cash and iPad. Interestingly the touch screen works through the pak and oooooh there is a ear-piece connector for when I REALLY need to be totally in my own little space (with my cash). http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AW4ITSE/?tag=casaivar02-20

 

[pbucilla]

camino07, Is the friends blog public? Can we read it? Is there a link?
Thanks

k1ypp, The blog it came from was http://solocamino.wordpress.com/author/solocamino/ I happened to subscribe to it and read about the theft this morning. There is very little information in the blog though.

 

[camino07]

camino07, Is the friends blog public? Can we read it? Is there a link?
Thanks

I'm sure she wouldn't mind,http://solocamino.wordpress.com/author/solocamino/
She hasn't posted since,says she is having trouble with the blog.

 

[pep7702]

More bad news... a friend reports that he was robbed of his cash under similar circumstances in Mansilla de las Mulas two days ago. He left his money belt unattended in the top of his pack and the cash was gone. The lesson is take your valuables with you.

I always took my money belt (bank/credit cards, passport), phone and iPad mini to the shower in a lightweight dry bag like this one http://www.rei.com/product/752522/sea-to-summit-lightweight-dry-sack-small#specsTab. Being a dry bag it could get wet.

Bottom line: take your valuables with you.

 

[Kanga]

More bad news... a friend reports that he was robbed of his cash under similar circumstances in Mansilla de las Mulas two days ago.

Sounds like the Camino albergues have been invaded by a single or gang of professional thieves. Eyes and ears people, time to get the police involved and for everyone to help catch them.

 

[Dutch]

But again, your friend should have know better. Money, passport, cc cards, phone...just keep it with you where ever you go.

Thats just the way the world is. Also on the camino. Sad, but true.

 

[Olivares]

This other incident makes me think that there is a strategy here. A person is making himself/herself pass as a pilgrim but in fact has a car or somebody is waiting for him/her in a car. The person(s) seizes the pilgrims coming in and comes in as well disguised as a pilgrim, all along already sizing up the opportunity/victims. They are working on a direction AWAY from Santiago because; 1) the word on the robberies would likely spread on the direction TOWARDS Santiago, and
2) pilgrims (such as the Korean ladies) will likely have more cash earlier on the Camino than later.

Based on this I predict that there will be another report of robbery witin the next couple of days somewhere between Puente la Reina and Sansol.

 

[Kanga]

With €3000 in just one hit from the three Korean girls, it's pretty lucrative. The police need help to catch these thieves. Spread the word - good neighbours and pilgrims watch out for each other and report suspicious activity to police.

 

[Olivares]

I have to agree with Lise T; the petty crime on the Camino is rare, but it does happens. "Fortunately" it never seems to involve violence, but it always seems to be a "tag-team" effort. Trust your instincts for sure.

 

[peregrina2000]

Since there are a few posts talking about reporting flashers to the police, it might be worth mentioning that reporting to the police is really essential, especially since it sounds like this is more than a one-shot theft. The people and officials in the towns along the Camino desperately want the Camino to remain safe and popular, and you can be sure they will marshall a pretty big effort to catch someone who seems to be preying systematically on pilgrims. Don´t let anyone talk you out of reporting it to the police. Though albergues may not want the bad press, if they thought rationally about it they would realize that much more important is to get the creep off the street.

 

[Mark Lee]

So sad, and the old former copper in me get's ticked off when I hear about stuff like this and even more angry when I hear it happens on the Camino. I look upon criminals as bullies, and I really, really dislike bullies, and really don't believe in the turn the other cheek when it comes to incidents like this.
Yes, the young ladies used poor judgement in leaving that much cash unattended, but let's not blame the victims. The total blame lies in the bullies who stole from them. I hope their Camino still turns out good for them despite this negative event.
I wonder what the Knights Templar would have done with such thieves who would victimize peregrinos? Hmmm, if it's what I think it is, I like it.

 

[jassy]

I agree with you. It is a strategy.
Im sure if the people where interviewed they would say they had been be-friended earlier on the the day by someone(s) who had an interest in there gear...how much it cost and watched you carefully when you took out your camera, phone or wallet. And watched even more closely as to where you placed it.

I had a young girl try this on me out of Logorono. She demanded I take a picture of her and then demanded to take one of me. She got annoyed with me when I said no. She asked me if my gear was expensive. I caught her in the next town...talking to two others an eyeing me up and looking at my bumbag. As I left and went to walk past them they made a big song n dance about having someone take there pictures. That confirmed my suspicions.


A few days later I found out that people had been robbed during the night in the Albergee in that town. (The name slips my memory its the first town after Logorono and there are some ruins as you enter it.).

Some of the other signals I saw were:
* this persons pack looked stuffed with paper not pilgrams gear. It made it look light.
* it sat on an angle that if it had been that fill would have been hard to carry
* she was too clean. She wore long trousers and they where super clean around the cuffs. So were her shoes. No dust build up.
* she walked slow. Now what I mean by this is....she was young...slim....im older and fat and walk slower than a pigeon somedays. She kept slowing down and looking back at me. So I slowed down.....she would slow down.

Im not saying this to scare anyone. Especially women. I did the Camino by myself and was fine. And the Camino is supper safe.....just dont forget to pack your instincts as well. And trust them.

I also had three people try and pick pocket me as a team while I was in line to see St James tomb in Santiago. When I indicated that I knew what they were doing....they left me alone.

were these locals or a different minority that tried to pick pocket you in St James .

Thanks

Jason

 

[whariwharangi]

I am having a hard time understanding why they were carrying such a large amount of cash. I know that in some cultures credit cards are frowned upon - cash is the only reality. However unless you are carrying your own safety deposit box I would very strongly advise against this. In all circumstances where ATM/Cash points are commonly available (Australia/USA/most of Europe) I usually have a max of two/three days cash requirements (say around E100/$150) and even this is separated into at least two storage places. I also bring with me passport/phone/most of the cash whenever I go to shower or out for a meal.
Please - if you are someone whose culture frowns on credit cards there are foreign currency cash cards (both VISA Plus & AMEX) - available in US dollars / Euros/ Japan YEN and I think Swiss Franks (as well as Aussie dollars) - they can be loaded with as much cash as you need - I think the limit is $1000 US - or equivalent currencies. So if you have to carry cash try these. Buen Camino.
(PS I hope they reported it to the police - everyone who was staying at the albergue MUST be known!!!)

I carried a lot of cash. When I needed more I draw the maximum from the ATM ... that was typically 300 - 500 euro.

I really resent those bank user fees and do everything to minimize them. I guess its a toss up between the risk of getting robbed in the street or getting robbed by the bank.

I have met people who have lost their bank card because they didn't have sufficient language skills or because the card was incompatible. That meant their only option was to have money wired from home and then to carry that money around.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Sounds like the Camino albergues have been invaded by a single or gang of professional thieves. Eyes and ears people, time to get the police involved and for everyone to help catch them.

Hola Kanga - thoroughly agree - regardless of how foolish you feel - whenever you are the victim of theft report it to the police and the hospitalero. Make a very big fuss/noise in the albergue. The "pilgrim" who reacts could be or thief!!

 

[Saint Mike II]

So sad, and the old former copper in me get's ticked off when I hear about stuff ....!
I wonder what the Knights Templar would have done with such thieves who would victimize peregrinos?

Mark I know exactly what the Knights Templar would have done and it is not very pretty.
I know that the Spanish economic situation has caused a lot of pain but this does not excuse targeting "pilgrims" who come to Spain and try to do their bit for the economy.

Maybe there should be signs in all albergues reminding pilgrims that thieves are about and to be very watchful of your valuables. Please don't tell me that this is casting dispersions on innocent pilgrims - all I am suggesting is protecting your valuable IS your responsibility!!

 

[dougfitz]

I find these reports of thefts of large amounts of money interesting. 'I've been robbed!' is a classic travel scam, and on the flimsy information that started this thread, appears just as likely an explanation as any other. If it is the explanation, it clearly has had the desired effect of evincing from many of you the sympathy such a scam is designed to create.

As for playing amatuer police, my view is to forget it. If the alleged theft was not reported to the local police for them to deal with, I don't think other pilgrims bear any responsibility in this at all. Given the sums of money said to be involved, my view would be that if it wasn't reported, it didn't happen.

If it was reported, let the appropriate authorities pursue their investigations. To that end, reporting suspicious behaviour as suggested by @Kanga and @peregrina2000 seems to be a good start.

The other thing is that when these posts appear, there are many people openly discussing the arrangements they make for the security of their valuables. I think this just a little foolish. Part of the strength of good personal security is that the very arrangements themselves are secure, and known only to you. While there might be a relatively limited range of options available, telling other people how you implement them is tantamount to asking for them to be breached.

Regards

 

[Olivares]

The cases of pilgrims being robbed while in albergues are escalating on both, frequency and boldness. Much like pickpocketing, this is not a crime of violence, it is a crime of opportunity in distraction. EVERYTHING you need to know to avoid been a victim is already said and popular knowledge. The time now is to act accordingly.

 

[naplesdon]

Knock wood, I have never been robbed. I have lived in impoverished parts of West Africa for years and walked the Camino in Spain and Portugal. Keep your valuables on your person at all times whether it is 2000 or 2 Euros.

 

[dougfitz]

The cases of pilgrims being robbed while in albergues are escalating on both, frequency and boldness. Much like pickpocketing, this is not a crime of violence, it is a crime of opportunity in distraction. EVERYTHING you need to know to avoid been a victim is already said and popular knowledge. The time now is to act accordingly.

Is there some objective evidence of this? Advising people to be cautious is one thing, unnecessarily frightening them another. Almost all of the stories on the forum this year were at best hearsay - I heard about this from another pilgrim who told me that they knew of someone who was robbed. And so it gets started. I only recall one forum member claiming a personal experience they insist was theft. Although some others have lost things, they also admit that it might just have been forgetfulness that resulted in something being left behind.

 

[JoeNYC]

Hey Jason.

I dont know if they were local and I wouldn't have a clue what minority they were. But it was a women in her 40's with two younger men.

The indicators were:
* a lot of bumping into me when in line. (There was no need for getting that close as there was plenty of room)
* Feeling hands moving towards my bag
* Efforts to distract me by the two guys while the women kept "bumping" into me. I.e they started to push in front and encircle me.

When we were down by the tomb I stepped out of the line and indicated they could go in front of me. The look on there faces and the panic that followed....told me I was right. They were "out of there" quick.

Want to really frighten them? Take their picture!