Crafty thieves targeting British holidaymakers

CONMEN and thieves are going to elaborate lengths to rob  holidaying Britons abroad.

Those taking breaks overseas have fallen foul of “the bus breakdown” where a driver pretends the vehicle has failed in the middle of nowhere and demands money from passengers to be collected by a second bus.

In another scam, a taxi driver forces passengers to pay a fine for non-seatbelt wearing, with the money being passed to a “policeman” he is in league with, revealed Sainsbury’s Travel Money.

Britons have also been victims of “the beachcomber” who watches them on the beach then robs them when they go in for a swim.

Some have also succumbed to the “note switch” con, where they offer a large note to taxi drivers or barmen who switch it to a small one and claim they are owed more money.

A survey by Sainsbury’s Travel Money of 2,014 adults showed that 7 per cent of Britons who had travelled abroad in the past two years had been robbed,  with the average value of  money or possessions stolen being £414.

Of those who had been robbed, 59 per cent had loose cash taken while 23 per cent had entire wallets or purses snatched.

Other stolen items included credit or debit cards (14 per cent), mobile phones (12 per cent), cameras (10 per cent), clothing (10 per cent), iPods or similar devices (7 per cent) and watches (6 per cent).

Thefts or cons were most likely to take place in hotel rooms or on public transport, with the next most popular spots for thieves being tourist attractions, busy streets and beaches.