Madrid Airport Scam

[vicrev]

I don't know if this Scam has been mentioned before....anyway....last week at Madrid Airport we were approached by a well dressed male ( with luggage ) he said he had missed his flight to Antwerp ,needed 20 euros towards the cost of a ticket,to get back to his family,we said we didn't have any euros (true ) he walked off mumbling to himself. Lo and behold,10 minutes later,another person came up & said he needed 20 euros to get back to his family in Paris,because he had missed his flight (there must be a resident population of people in Madrid Airport,who have missed their flights out !!! )...........be careful of this emotional blackmail con !!!!...............Vicrev

 

[vicrev]

Sorry all,I don't know about the attached files,must have hit the wrong button (again !!!!!! )...........Vicrev

 

[NicoZ]

Just say No English.

The problem is some times it's amazing the number of languages they know.

 

[peregrino_tom]

I saw it worked brilliantly in the NYC bus terminal in 1990 when I was in the queue for the Greyhound. This guy had had his wallet stolen, was quite upset and needed to get back to his family in Albany on this same bus we were waiting for- just needed the eight dollars for the fare. We were stuck in the queue for a while waiting for the bus and he worked the queue up and down, putting all of us on the spot. We were each searching our consciences and weighing up his need with ours and the persuasiveness of his story - and the fact that we knew we were in a dodgy bus station in the capital city of the con. Eventually a family that I took to be central American and not long arrived in the country gave him the money. We never saw him again.

 

[Anniesantiago]

They do this in every American City with a twist. Car broken down with gas can next to it. They need gas money.

 

[fraluchi]

[...] he said he had missed his flight to Antwerp ,needed 20 euros towards the cost of a ticket,to get back to his family[...].be careful of this emotional blackmail con !!

Seasoned travellers are well aware that this type of approach is a scam. "I'm sorry, dear friend, of course I would help you if I had the money" will at least test his linguistic abilities.

 

[RENSHAW]

I don't know if this Scam has been mentioned before....anyway....last week at Madrid Airport we were approached by a well dressed male ( with luggage ) he said he had missed his flight to Antwerp ,needed 20 euros towards the cost of a ticket,to get back to his family,we said we didn't have any euros (true ) he walked off mumbling to himself. Lo and behold,10 minutes later,another person came up & said he needed 20 euros to get back to his family in Paris,because he had missed his flight (there must be a resident population of people in Madrid Airport,who have missed their flights out !!! )...........be careful of this emotional blackmail con !!!!...............Vicrev

There are two resident Brits ( yes, the shame what?) at T4 in Madrid.
I was at Mc Donalds and ordered a burger , got up for 2 seconds for some tomatoe sauce - looked around and one of these vagabonds walked staight up to the burger , rewraped it and shot passed me all in one movement - I chased and shouted. He plonked himself down in the first seat he could and bit straight into the burger. I started to make a loud fuss , turned around to see within three feet of me was a senior policeman - he had so much kit on that he looked like the Commmadore of a ship - I explained to him that that right here in front of us was a thief ............ he shrugged his sholders and ( all in Spanish) ............ can't you see .......... I,m drinking my coffee now..............????
WHAT MADE IT WORSE!!! - I was fuming and quickly went back to my small bag with all my 'personals' in ....... it was still there.
The two vagabonds came back with a my unloved , molested , thrashed burger and put in front of me ......they were sorry but they were starving while waiting for money for their flight back to England - I refused the burger ........thats when the final blow was delivered .... Brits next to me bought the poor starving boys a slap up meal and gave ME , yes ME , the up and down( should be ashamed of yourself ) look.
Thank you T4 and your force , a really poor show ............. all would have been on video ..........
AND I BET THOSE GUYS ARE STILL THERE!!!

 

[fraluchi]

[...] He plonked himself down in the first seat he could and bit straight into the burger. [...]

Makes met think of the guy who had to go to the loo and left a note next to his plate with "Don't take it, I spit on it!"
When he came back, someone had added "me too"

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Poor guy has to live on airport hamburgers.

 

[JennyH94]

Poor guy has to live on airport hamburgers.

Hi Rebekah ... maybe he needs to reposition himself to El Madroño at Barajas ... Travel + Leisure magazine states that it's :

"Easily the swankiest dining option at the airport, El Madroño is set outside Terminal 4’s security area—so it’s the best place to have a pre-board meal with friends or business associates who aren’t traveling with you. Serious wheeler-dealers and tearful romantics can even take their upscale Mediterranean dishes, like terrine of duck foie gras and salmon tournedos with asparagus, in one of several private dining rooms."

Not only might he enjoy a slap-up meal, he might get a First Class ticket "back to Antwerp" !

Cheers!

 

[StuartM]

There used to be an American guy in Manchester who did this scam for years. He'd get on a double decker bus, go upstairs so the driver couldn't see him and give everyone the sob story. I saw him do it three times, the first time I saw him he scammed a fair bit of money (not from me, story made no sense) but on the 2nd and 3rd times I called him out and both times he scuttled off after a mouthful of swearing.

I heartily recommend getting hold of The Bunco Book. It's a fascinating read, I think it was written in the 30's and a lot of the scams are coming back into fashion.

 

[Sraaen]

I nominate this thread for "shut it down" status.

 

[Sraaen]

I nominate this thread for "shut it down" status.

 

[Whalleyranger]

You're probably not wrong.