Break-in: House in La Lejona
Date: December 4, 2011
Time: 9:30 P.M.
Police Response: Not very prompt; the thieves had time to take property
Reported to Public Ministry: No
Neighborhood: La Lejona
Crime: Break in – Home
Police: Yes
Message: I was out of town. I have an alarm system. The thieves broke the frame to front door. The alarm system worked, but since neighbors and police did not respond right away the thieves had time to take a Blackberry that I only use in the US, a GPS and an IPod. By the time I discovered that the Blackberry was gone and reported the theft to AT&T I had a bill of $580.00 US dollars on the phone. I also had multiple expenses to repair the damage the thieves had done to the house.
Email Scam: Mugged in Madrid – Please Send Money
This scam email, which resulted from the hacking of a San Miguel resident’s address book, was making the rounds in the city as of 30 January 2012. It appeared on the Civil List and in the in-boxes of individuals.
——-
Bad situation … Help!!
Hello,
I’m sorry for this odd request because it might get to you too urgent but it’s
because of the situation of things right now.
I’m with family on vacation in Madrid, Spain, I know I didn’t mention anything about it to you but we are in trouble, we were mugged last night in an alley by a gang of thugs on our way back from shopping, one of them had a knife poking my neck for almost two minutes and everything we had on us including my cell phone, credit cards were all stolen, quite honestly it was beyond a dreadful experience for us but looking on the bright side we weren’t seriously hurt or injured and we are still alive so that is whats important.
I’ve reported to the cops here and canceled all our cards, it appeared I had acted quickly enough or they almost would have succeeded in cleaning out my bank account. I’m really having some difficulties clearing our hotel bills and also need to pick up a voucher ticket at the counter for us to catch a flight back home as soon as possible. All we need right now is $1,850.00, I’ll appreciate what you can give if not all. Please get back to me asap and I’ll advise on how to send it.
xx [first name of supposed sender]
Tailpipe Flameout Scam – Prologue To A Car Theft
We now have two separate reports that this scam has been worked in San Miguel. The first attempt was in late April 2009. The most recent attempt was in late December 2011.
April 2009: The target car had just parked at the mall at La Luciernaga when a highly polished red sedan pulled up beside it. Two young men got out of the sedan and approached the car’s driver. Obviously concerned, they told the driver (in good English) that fire was coming from the car’s tail pipe. Alarmed, the driver agreed to open the hood and to let the young men study the car’s manual in an effort to see what was wrong.
After an “examination” of the engine, they told the driver they could not fix the problem and that their recommendation was to call a tow truck and take the car to a local Auto Magic repair center. [Auto Magic is the brand name of an auto cleaning product sold in the US.]
The car, in fact, would not start, but the driver declined the young men’s suggestion, sent them away and called a known reputable towing service that took the car to the garage where it was normally serviced. At the garage, the driver was told that the car was fine – except for the cable the scammers had, in all probability, disconnected when they worked under the hood.
December 2011: While driving on Salida a Celaya, near Mega, the intended victim heard odd noises coming from the back of the car. A few moments later, another car, driven by a young man, apparently in his 20s, drove up close to the driver, motioning that there was a problem with the driver’s car.
Both drivers pulled onto the shoulder and the young man immediately jumped out. While the driver was still in the car, the young man, very much excited and speaking Spanish, indicated that flames were coming from the car’s tailpipe. He asked the driver to pop the hood and to step on the accelerator. The driver complied and the young man appeared to fumble under the hood. At which point, the driver turned off the engine, but found it impossible to remove the key from the ignition. Simultaneously, all of the dashboard warning lights lit up. The driver attempted to restart the car, but the motor would not turnover.
The driver then got out of the car and asked the young man what he had done. The young man claimed he had checked the oil and the battery cables. The driver was positive the young man was lying. Apparently, the young man knew he was under suspicion because he quickly got back in his car and took off.
On close inspection, under the hood, the driver discovered that the young man had disconnected the cable that powered the car’s computer. The driver re-connected the cable, the car started and the driver drove away.
But there was more to the story. Just before the young man took off, the driver spotted a second young man lying down in the front passenger seat and concluded that this scam was prologue to a car theft. Had the driver left the car unguarded for any reason, for example to get help, the two young men would have stolen the car by reconnecting the cable. With the key still locked in the ignition, they could have simply driven off.
Mugging in Colonia Independencia
Date: approx. October 19
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Colonia Independencia
Reported at Public Ministry: Yes
Neighborhood: Independencia
Crime: Mugging
Police: Yes – police arrived within 10-15 minutes
Message: I parked in front of my house to unload groceries. As I took grocery items from the trunk, a young adult male grabbed the purse that was on my arm. I pulled back and we played a bit of tug of war until, suddenly, he pulled very hard and sent me flying into the nearby empty lot–approx. 25 feet.
I sprained a toe, bruised my whole left side and cut and scraped my left arm. He ran, but then realized he might have hurt me quite badly and stopped and looked back. When he saw that I was getting up, he resumed running – with my purse.
Two days later, a man appearing to be in his 40′s contacted me. He had my purse and said he’d found it and wanted a reward. My wallet (with cash, credit cards, drivers license other business cards, etc.) was not in the purse. I presumed the man would return the following day and tell me he’d “found” my wallet, too; this happened to a friend just a few weeks earlier–also in front of my house. I discretely followed the man to his house, and then called the police. I believe this man knows more than he’s willing to say. To date, my wallet has not been returned.
Intruder Climbs Wall & Falls onto Terrace
Date: November 12
Time: approx. 8:30 p.m.
Reported: No
Neighborhood: Independencia
Crime: Break-in – terrace at house
Police: Yes. They arrived in 12-15 minutes after call
Message: I was watching TV with my mini doxie; we were sitting in a recliner next to a wall of glass with a glass door that was open to the 2nd floor terrace. Suddenly my dog jumped off my lap and ran through the door onto the terrace, barking as if something was wrong.
When he didn’t stop barking, I got up and looked. At first, I saw nothing obvious. But then I realized there was a man’s body laying flat about 2 1/2 feet to the left of the doorway. My first thought was, “dead body on my terrace!”
I turned the outside light on, and then the man (about 18-20 years old) stood up. I immediately shut the terrace door and locked it. The intruder then walked over to the corner, climbed the wall, grinned at me, waved, let himself down on the other side of the wall and disappeared from view.
My house has a very high outside wall. I never could have imagined anyone being able to climb over it. But, on inspection, I saw that a neighbor’s car was parked next to a telephone pole adjacent to my house and I imagine this young man was able to climb onto the car, shimmy up the telephone pole and over the lowest part of the wall. From there he would have been able to climb up onto the 2nd story terrace. It seems obvious that he was startled and fell when my dog began to bark. I think he lay still, hoping I wouldn’t see him.
My doxie was a hero that night.
Mugging in Santa Julia
Date: 26 October 2011
Time: 2:55 PM
Reported to Ministerio Publico: Yes
Neighborhood: Santa Julia
Crime: Mugging
Police: No
Message: I was walking from Col Santa Julia toward Centro in the afternoon when a young man came up from behind and grabbed my purse strap. I turned, tried to kick him and we both fell. He dragged me on the street before I let go. I sustained bruises.
I didn’t call the police because my phone was in my purse and the mugger stole the purse. People came out on the street when I screamed, but they would not call the police, however, one witness will testify against my attacker should the police catch him.
I have two friends who told me that they were attacked in Col. Independencia; they called the police. From the description of their attacker, I suspect that the man who attacked me may be the same person who attacked them; my friends told me that they believe their assailant lives in Col. Independencia. My friends also told me that, some time after the attack, a man contacted them, claimed to have found their purses in a field and asked for a propina.
Stolen Car Battery
Date: 11/16/11
Time: 1:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Reported at Ministerio Publico: No
Neighborhood: Centro
Crime: Break in - vehicle
Police: Yes — they arrived very quickly
Message: Between 1:30 and 4:00 p.m. on November 16th, the battery was stolen from a pick up truck parked on Quebrada between Umaran and Pila Seca. There have been multiple break-ins on this section of street over the last several months.
