Removal of Property from Apartments

When owners of a ground floor apartment leave their premises would they please put all their articles of furniture, cycles etc. inside the apartment. There have been some reported thefts recently of such property. Although security patrol around apartment blocks, they cannot prevent opportunist thieves.

Would all owners please take note that if you wish a third party such as your key holder or an agent to remove property or motor vehicles from your apartment or garage in your absence you must first issue a written signed authorisation for the benefit of security. Security need to be satisfied that the property owner has actually authorised this removal.

Please note security will not allow the removal of any property from the resort without such a written authentication. A telephone call will not be sufficient. This letter needs to identify and be signed by you, a description of the property and the identity of the person authorised to remove it.
 

Security of Your Property

The responsibility for the security of your property lies with the owner. When you leave your apartment and it is not in use please make sure the water and electricity is disconnected. Turn off the water to your toilet. There is a tap just below the cistern. Use the roller shutters where fitted to protect the windows and doors. Fit inexpensive security bolts on the patio doors and windows especially on ground floor apartments.

Local tradesmen can do it for you at minimum cost, or you can buy them from Leroy Merlin stores. Make sure you leave a key with a trusted neighbour or key holder in case of emergencies.

Security of Garages

Garages are not secure to thieves. Do not leave property or bicycles in your garage space. If you have bicycles in your garage space make sure you secure them with a strong chain to the walls or pillars. If you rent your apartment to holidaymakers please do not give them garage access or the remote control. Several thefts have occurred in the past as a result of thieves staying temporarily in the resort and gaining access to the garages with a vehicle. 

If you leave a car in the garage for extended periods please disable it.

Property Rental Scam

There is a very common scam, which is often run from Nigeria and it applies to anyone renting a property in Spain.

The way it works is that the screamers pretend to book a rental on line and actually send a payment, normally by cheque drawn on a foreign bank which then appears in the owners bank account, for a larger amount as un-cleared funds.

For example you as owner ask for €100 deposit, they send you €500, then quickly pretend that they made a mistake and request by e mail a refund of the difference.

The scammers will then ask you to send the amount of the overpayment back to them, but by a Western Union transfer and rely on the time difference between the cheque being rejected and cash received. The cheque payment of course eventually bounces and you are left out of pocket for the cash you returned.

This is a very common scam in Spain, especially during the summer renting season, so please beware.

Driving

Never leave valuables unattended in a vehicle. If you have to stop on the way to the airport or driving anywhere in Spain with property in your car someone must stay with the vehicle, keeping it locked.  

Always park in a conspicuous place.  If anyone approaches you whilst parked do not open the windows.  One common trick these people use is to keep you occupied whilst an accomplice quickly reaches through an open rear window and takes property. 

Criminals know that people on holiday make easy targets because they are relaxed and not on their guard. If you leave property visible in an unattended car it's an open invitation to a thief especially with a hire car logo in the back window.

Security Advice at Airports

On Wednesday evening, 5th November, 2014 a husband and wife had just left the terminal building at San Javier Airport and were approaching the road crossing to the car park area when they were attacked and robbed. A car raced up to the crossing stopped and two men leaped out of the car, one violently shoved the husband to the floor and stole their case whilst the other snatched the wife's handbag. The two men then quickly returned to the car which accelerated away with spinning wheels and raced off at high speed. The handbag contained all their money, bank cards and passports.

Although the Guardia were present the incident was over in a matter of seconds and the car had disappeared before they could react. This represents an escalation in criminal tactics not seen before during previous thefts at the airport. Please be aware on arrival at the airport you are vulnerable to such attacks. Be on your guard. A false sense of security is created by the surroundings and during an adjustment period after the flight.

Keep all valuables on your person preferably in a front pocket or waist bag hidden under a top or jacket. Never carry valuables in bags or cases.

Be aware that criminals in Spain target foreigners. There have been several incidents of this kind at St Javier airport over the last three years and reports are increasing. Be watchful in the car parks and lock all bags in the car boot for safety. If young dark skinned men approach your vehicle lock yourself inside the car and call 112.
 

Parking at Airports

The traffic police are now in charge of parking at the airport. If you park your car outside the airport and leave it they will put an 80 euros parking ticket on it, even if you were gone for a minute! They are being ruthless. If you stay seated in your car they will tell you to move. Every car has now got to go in the car park. There can be three police cars at a time. The police are now not even bothering to issue tickets; they are just taking photos of your car and sending fines in the post! A works van stopped for 1 second to pick a colleague up and the police told them to move! No parking whatsoever is permitted on the airport access roads now.

Summer Holiday Season – Alicante Airport

During the summer season criminal gangs operate on the motorways near Alicante airport. These gangs are using various methods to stop drivers mainly hire cars and foreign registered vehicles to rob them of their baggage and personal belongings. They are throwing eggs at the windscreens and pointing to vehicle wheels indicating a problem. There have even been reports of criminals dressing up as Guardia Civil Officers and imposing bogus on the spot fines. Also if you stop you risk these criminals slashing your tyres and robbing you.

If you are stopped and have any concerns about the officer, record the registration number of the vehicle and their description and call 062 or 112.

The best advice is NEVER stop on the motorway or anywhere else for anyone even if it risks damage to the car. If eggs are thrown at the windscree,n do not turn on the wipers your vision will be obscured.

If a single police officer tries to stop you on the road drive to the nearest public rest area and stay in a locked vehicle until the officer proves his identity. They are always in pairs or more. All Guardia Civil officers have their identity badge on their uniform shirt and carry a firearm.

Attention: If you hire a car remove the company’s logo sticker from the back window. It's a flag to the criminal saying foreigner.