Possible Scam

[eugene]

Hi everybody
I have been touring France in my dimension, and I have just had a peculiar experience, which may serve as a warning to others.
I was driving down one of the excellent French motorways, and I stopped at a roadside 'Aire' with a restaurant. Having had a coffee and sandwich I drove on down the motorway, but I had only gone about a mile, when a woman was waving frantically from the side of the road, so I pulled over and stopped.
The woman then told me in French/English that her husband was having a heart attack in the car which was parked about 100 yards from where we we were standing. I then started walking towards the parked car, when I suddenly realised that the woman was not rushing to her supposed dying husband, but was staying near my motorhome, this aroused my suspicions.
I told the woman that there was nothing that I could do and on looking down the motorway I saw that there was an emergency telephone a short distance away. So I suggested that she drive her husband there.
When I drove off I realised the scam was to steal my motorhome. If I had rushed down to the supposedly dying husband the woman would have got into my motorhome and driven off. The man would then have driven off and left me standing on the motorway, sans dimension!!
The two of them must have seen me at the restaurant and realised that I was on my own.
I must apologise for this long winded explanation, but perhaps it is a warning to others who drive on there own.

[di allen]

Thanks, Eugene. What a good job you didn't walk too far away from your van before becoming suspicious. I'm not sure that I would have done, I'm far too trusting!! Some people are despicable!!

[Graham, do you think this warrants a sticky to warn others driving on the continent?]

Di.

[Graham]

Thank goodness you had your wits about you Eugene.

It always pays to be suspicious about people in situations like this (sad but true).

I will sticky this as Di suggested as a warning to others and I have moved it to the camping abroad section.

[eugene]

Since I nearly had my motorhome stolen, I have been on the lookout for similar scams being reported.
There is one to lookout for.
You have returned to your parked motorhome, and started the engine then you look back to reverse and you notice an official looking paper stuck to the back windows so you get out to look, leaving the engine running. Then thieves appear from nowhere jump into the cab and drive off leaving you standing in the carpark.
I have the keys attached to my belt now with a length of small chain and only unclip them when I know it is safe to do so.
I know that is probably considered excessive but I have nearly been caught out once.

[NomadSue]

Since I nearly had my motorhome stolen, I have been on the lookout for similar scams being reported.
There is one to lookout for.
You have returned to your parked motorhome, and started the engine then you look back to reverse and you notice an official looking paper stuck to the back windows so you get out to look, leaving the engine running. Then thieves appear from nowhere jump into the cab and drive off leaving you standing in the carpark.
I have the keys attached to my belt now with a length of small chain and only unclip them when I know it is safe to do so.
I know that is probably considered excessive but I have nearly been caught out once.

A great idea to have the keys clipped to your belt - I have a wallet like that for use at eg festivals, when in cities, etc, so might well use your idea in the same way. Thanks.

[Flo]

Knowledge of this type of scam are useful. Even if we don't get them acted on us, it serves to help us be suspicious about things. Nothing wrong with suspicion if it helps avoid bad things.

Maybe we need a camping/driving scam section. These things can happen here and not just abroad these days.

[Tentpeg]

Can I just sound a note of caution. Eugene's post is a really helpful one but let us all not assume that somebody asking for a help is necessarily a scammer.

Eugene is right we should all be sensible, but these days with electronic fobs it takes a microsecond to lock the door. One of the rules of first aid is first to ensure your own saftey and do a quick risk assessment but that does not mean you just hit the accelerator pedal.

So the message is I think be sensible, but it would be really really sad if we did not help each other because of a FEW nasty people.

[eugene]

Tentpeg I could not agree more, offering help to someone is one of humanities greatest achievements.
But any help must be tempered with caution, as there are unfortunately some people who will take any opportunity to rob you.
After my experience of nearly losing my motorhome in France, I have bought a retractable steel cable to attach my car key to my belt.

[Tentpeg]

I think that is excellent advice Eugene, electronic keys have made it much more difficult for people to whip away with vehicles and hanging on to your keys is the first rule. I also notice that in all my car insurance policies you are not insured if you leave your car unattended with the keys in the car... so attaching them to you seems like a really sensible idea.

[Flo]

Most of us are all pretty good at assessing a situation but these days it is important when weighing up the situation where we are asked to help, to take account of the fact that there are many more nasty scams around than when we were young. There are also many more ways of helping even without getting our of our vehicles if alone, eg mobile phones.

Most scams are obvious and I just love the big city ones which seem to be quite universal just conducted in different languages. BUT it is important to weigh up the likeliehood of risk in order to prevent a bad situation arising. Of course one hopes that none of us would just turn a blind eye in a serious situation where we feel we could help but to be warned and aware of other people's experiences can only help us to make a decision if necessary.

[roadster55]

I had something similar happen.........

in Southern Spain about 12 years ago when driving an autosleeper symphony on a fairly quiet stretch of road, only this time a Spanish registered car started to overtake then when beside me the driver (a man in his thirties) matched my speed and began to wave frantically and point down at the lower part of the vehicle. I immediately smelt a rat and waved back at him and then totally ignored him. Eventually he overtook and drove off. At the next junction I turned off and changed my route. Sure enough upon inspection that night nothing was amiss with the vehicle. I often wonder what would have happened had I pulled over?

[cedas]

How sad that there are so many nasty people around- I just feel grateful that I live in a place where there is little crime - only bother to lock van in the tourist season - but then a quick phone call and any nasty folk would be stopped at end of 8 mile single track road - police could get there from phone call faster than any thieves could drive out. Anyway who wants to steal an old C15? There are some advantages in having an old van.

[doog]

in Southern Spain about 12 years ago when driving an autosleeper symphony on a fairly quiet stretch of road, only this time a Spanish registered car started to overtake then when beside me the driver (a man in his thirties) matched my speed and began to wave frantically and point down at the lower part of the vehicle. I immediately smelt a rat and waved back at him and then totally ignored him. Eventually he overtook and drove off. At the next junction I turned off and changed my route. Sure enough upon inspection that night nothing was amiss with the vehicle. I often wonder what would have happened had I pulled over?

chap i worked for had the same thing in Spain. on the motorway, broad daylight. woman driving pass pointing and waving at his car. he suspected foul play and wouldn't stop. car dropped back, then rammed his boot. he pulled onto shoulder and jumped out to confront woman driver, whereupon out jumped three men with knives, and proceeded to rob him and his wife of everything they had. police said it was not uncommon and blamed east europeans. terrifying!!

[jayjay]

What horrifying stories!

Glad I don't even have a passport anymore, JMHO!

[maddy]

Agreed, there is a lot to be said for staying in good old Blighty!!