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ARCHIVED - Golf course thieves target British tourists across Spain
Mallorca and the Costa del Sol have been hit by a wave of robberies
Clever scammers are targeting British golfers in popular Mallorca holiday spots, drilling new holes and moving flags to secluded areas where they can rifle through their bags and steal their belongings. The criminals locate the fake holes close to the road so they can make a quick getaway.
Golf courses throughout the Mallorcan capital of Palma, as well as the municipality of Calvia which includes Magaluf, Santa Ponsa, and Andratx have all been affected, prompting one location to print warning fliers for players before they hit the fairways.
At Vall d'Or Golf near Portocolom, one unlucky golfer recently had a Swiss watch valued at almost 15,000 euros and more than 600 euros in cash robbed from his bag while he was trying to make a putt.
Israel Rodriguez, director of the club, said: “It might not be a very commercial solution, but it’s been the most effective because after the theft has taken place all we can do is advise victims they should report it.
“Better to advise them before and not after they find their £13,000 watch and another £550 in cash has gone missing as has happened.”
This kind of scam is far from unique to the Spanish islands, with golfers across the Costa del Sol reporting similar incidents.
One regular British golfer posted a warning on social media:
“It is much more typical for thieves to try to steal your belongings while you are actually out on the course, and not in the vicinity of the clubhouse where there are generally more people around.
“These thieves are not fools. They carefully pick particular holes on the course to operate on, in particular holes where you park your buggy next to the green, and they carry out the theft while you are busy on the green, probably with the buggy not in plain sight.”
In other news: BA cancels more than 300 flights ahead of Easter strikes
Image: Freepik
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