Camino Portuguese €500 scam?

[hansking]

I'm currently walking the Camino Portuguese. I was scammed yesterday by a lady said to be from Mexico.
She told me that when she entered Spain, the money exchange at the airport, could give her a € 500 note, which the albergue would now not accept for the payment of her supper. She was very distressed because she was helpless and did not know what to do. She asked if I could break it into smaller notes, but who carries so much cash? So I felt sorry for her and gave her € 20 to help her for the evening.
My friends told me that they thought that this was a scam, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt because we were due to stay I the same albergue tonight.
When I enquired at reception as to her whereabouts, I was told that she had moved to a much more expensive albergue in the same town, this confirmed my doubts about her.
I happened to meet a friend of hers who was in town and she took me to her, and I was able to retrieve my € 20, I believe others would not be so lucky.
I believe this is something she is doing regularly so I am putting up a post to warn others to be aware of this.

 

[Jennifer from Colorado]

I'm currently walking the Camino Portuguese. I was scammed yesterday by a lady said to be from Mexico.
She told me that when she entered Spain, the money exchange at the airport, could give her a € 500 note, which the albergue would now not accept for the payment of her supper. She was very distressed because she was helpless and did not know what to do. She asked if I could break it into smaller notes, but who carries so much cash? So I felt sorry for her and gave her € 20 to help her for the evening.
My friends told me that they thought that this was a scam, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt because we were due to stay I the same albergue tonight.
When I enquired at reception as to her whereabouts, I was told that she had moved to a much more expensive albergue in the same town, this confirmed my doubts about her.
I happened to meet a friend of hers who was in town and she took me to her, and I was able to retrieve my € 20, I believe others would not be so lucky.
I believe this is something she is doing regularly so I am putting up a post to warn others to be aware of this.

Consider it a donation to a fellow pilgrim and God will bless you for your charity. How would she get into an albergue, even an "expensive" one without credencial?
Never begrudge a gift given, even if the recipient is not worthy of your largess.
Buen Camino
Jennifer

 

[Rajy62]

Don't see how you come to the conclusion this was a scam. Are there others claim to have given her money also? Hard to believe a scam artist would have friends in the area who would lead others to where she is staying or even inform an alberque that she is moving to another expensive one. Sounds like a coincidence to me.

 

[Pat Kenny]

Hanskin, as Katharina suggested - the currency exchange dealers will not issue a 500euro note at the airport. Might I also add the question (although it's irrelevant) how long ago would she have been at the airport? But thanks for the heads-up anyway.

 

[hansking]

Hi Pat
I don't know how long the lady and her companions have been walking. When you find someone could be economical with the truth then everything is suspect. She claimed to first have gone to Fatima - but from where I don't know. She also claimed to be from Mexico - but who knows?
I think the best is that everyone is aware of this - nothing has been proven, but the story really seems improbable.

 

[Jennifer from Colorado]

Hans, you got your gift to her back, right?
So all is well in the end, right?

Bless the woman who asked for help, and blessings on you that you might let it go.

You gave a fellow pilgrim help when she asked. Consider it a job well done and enjoy the rest of your pilgrimage.
Buen Camino!
Jennifer

 

[MinaKamina]

This one has grown a sizeable beard!
The One Million Pound Bank Note is a British movie from 1954, based on a story from 1893 by Mark Twain. Read the description on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Million_Pound_Bank_Note
and you'll see that you reacted in the same way as the inn keeper when he was presented with this bank note in exchange for a simple meal.


Movie with Gregory Peck: http://freefilmsarchive.com/the-million-pound-note-1954/

 

[Ahhhs]

Sadly this is a fairly common scam, with many variations on why the person needs your money, in many tourist areas all over the world.

But the way I like to look at such things, is that someone who needs to do that type of scam probably needs the money more than I do. I try to feel some compassion as well as the irritation of being targeted.

Buen Camino anyway.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

A "German" man approached me at the Porto airport, was helpful to others struggling with luggage of the stairs, never asked for money but said he was stuck in the country as he was mug and could not get a flight because he needs id he doesn't have, etc... That is what embassies and consulates are for, but never the less I gave him 10€, he did not ask for, feelimg I,would rather go without it than not give it and wonder if I should have.

Interestingly enough, when I got in the metro car he dug into his backpack to show me fromthe plateform his credencial and Brierly guide...

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

I'm currently walking the Camino Portuguese. I was scammed yesterday by a lady said to be from Mexico.
She told me that when she entered Spain, the money exchange at the airport, could give her a € 500 note, which the albergue would now not accept for the payment of her supper. She was very distressed because she was helpless and did not know what to do. She asked if I could break it into smaller notes, but who carries so much cash? So I felt sorry for her and gave her € 20 to help her for the evening.
My friends told me that they thought that this was a scam, but I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt because we were due to stay I the same albergue tonight.
When I enquired at reception as to her whereabouts, I was told that she had moved to a much more expensive albergue in the same town, this confirmed my doubts about her.
I happened to meet a friend of hers who was in town and she took me to her, and I was able to retrieve my € 20, I believe others would not be so lucky.
I believe this is something she is doing regularly so I am putting up a post to warn others to be aware of this.

thanks for your post, sounds like a scam, but then again, maybe not... maybe she decided to invest your kindness in a little more comfort.

in any case, if you are changing money abroad (your bank back home), keep in mind that 500 euro notes are IMPOSSIBLE to change or use in spain (and portugal i am guessing). and 200 euro notes can be a pain.

 

[SeaHorse]

500 euro notes and even 200 euro notes in Europe are almost extinct, like a T-Rex, I don't recall even seeing one in real life. Also 100 is fairly rare, but that you can order in banks, specially.
Only remainder of 500 existence is in petrol stations where you see warnings that they are not accepted. Strongly doubt that the note the Mexican had was genuine. Where would she get it? (yes, I read the part about money exchange in airport, nonsense).

 

[bunnymac]

Spain has a very large 'black' economy, especially in real estate transactions. This has lead to the proliferation of large bills in the economy (€200 & €500). Many business refuse to accept large bills. I would urge peregrinos to do the same. Most ATMs dispense a selection of bills (€50/20/10). Keep away from anything larger than a fifty!

 

[MinaKamina]

Spain has a very large 'black' economy, especially in real estate transactions. This has lead to the proliferation of large bills in the economy (€200 & €500). Many business refuse to accept large bills. I would urge peregrinos to do the same. Most ATMs dispense a selection of bills (€50/20/10). Keep away from anything larger than a fifty!

Apparently, the size of the black economy can be estimated based on the number of €500 notes in circulation. Can't find the article that I read about this, but the estimate was something like 26% ....

A bank will hand out a €500 note only on request. Legally, you are allowed to pay for goods or a service with a €500 note. However, this has to be reasonable, so paying for a coffee or a loaf of bread with 500 is 'not done'. If you have a €500 note and could not change this at a bank (they are obliged to do so, but let's assume it is a holiday) what can you do?
Let 10 pilgrims pay you for their meal of 20 euros and hand over the €500 to the albergue as a payment for a total bill of €200. This is reasonable.

My guess is that this will not happen and that this person still has the €500 at the end of the camino. Gregory Peck managed to live very well for one month without spending his one million dollar note!

 

[Jim Kavanagh]

I thought I was the only one who would remember the million pound note movie - I can picture Wilfred Hyde White as well as Gregory Peck still.
The fact that the woman was staying at an albergue and that you got your money back seem to indicate no scam but you never know.
In one town on the Camino I gave money to a woman outside a church who allegedly had no bus fare who elsewhere in that town accosted me with a completely different story.
Being charitable can have its drawbacks but there are deserving cases.

 

[Stuart Lennon]

I agree with most of what you say but just a little correction: 500 and 200 euro notes are not extinct, they are just invisible to most people but apparently in demand and in use. While I did say that I find it weird that the person received a 500 euro note at the airport I would not rule it out. I can imagine that airport exchange bureaus do have them and use them; it would be actually normal to offer the highest notes available if someone changes a large amount of cash. They don't care whether you are a tourist or say a worker or a business traveler returning from a country with a cash based economy or where you don't have a bank account with a visa card attached to it or from where you chose to bring back cash for whatever other (legal) reason.

500 Euro notes were, for a time, known as Bin Ladens. They existed, but no-one had seen them.

Across Europe, Law enforcement has arrangements with financial service providers to accept 500 euro notes but not to issue them. Katharina, Exchange bureaux do care how cash was obtained. They are legally obliged to care. There are cowboys out there, but those at the airport will be very closely supervised.

Whether the woman in question was scamming or not - I really could not guess, but well done Hansking for being so charitable and then for recovering his money when a rat was scented.

 

[dougfitz]

Most ATMs dispense a selection of bills (€50/20/10). Keep away from anything larger than a fifty!

Many ATMs that I have used have a 'small notes' option that reduces the number of 50€ notes and replaces them with 20€ notes. I select that when it is available.