# Driving in Spain



## bingolily (Sep 1, 2010)

Hi my name is Sue and I live in the west midlands with my husband malcolm. 
We have just returned from a two week holiday in spain and would like to warn anyone who maybe thinking of driving to spain. We started our journey from calais and travelled all the way down to Bayonne with no problems, stayed in a hotel over night and left approx 07.00 to continue our journey to Nerja. Approx 2 hours from the border approx 1 hour from Madrid a car pulled up along side us with what appeared to be a police officer showing a badge and asking us to leave the road at the next junction. We followed the car of the slip road and stopped on a small roundabout. The man got out of the car and walked over to us asking for our passports and where we were going. He said he was border police patrol and that he needed to check our currency because english people had been coming to spain with couterfiet money . He checked our currency holding some notes up to the light, he also asked if we had any drugs or alcohol inthe car, he then retrurned the money and told us to carry on our journey. It was not until the next day when we arrived in Nerja we realised he had taken 550euros with out us realising. We then spent 3 hours in the local police station to be told they were probarbly Romanians posing as police and we had been scammed.
Please do not stop for any one on the N1 or the motorways unless they are in official police cars and carry photo I D. We have been driving to spain for the past ten years with no prolems at all and feel totally stupid that we can be conned at our age but hope no one else is in the same situation as us.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

bingolily said:


> Hi my name is Sue and I live in the west midlands with my husband malcolm.
> We have just returned from a two week holiday in spain and would like to warn anyone who maybe thinking of driving to spain. We started our journey from calais and travelled all the way down to Bayonne with no problems, stayed in a hotel over night and left approx 07.00 to continue our journey to Nerja. Approx 2 hours from the border approx 1 hour from Madrid a car pulled up along side us with what appeared to be a police officer showing a badge and asking us to leave the road at the next junction. We followed the car of the slip road and stopped on a small roundabout. The man got out of the car and walked over to us asking for our passports and where we were going. He said he was border police patrol and that he needed to check our currency because english people had been coming to spain with couterfiet money . He checked our currency holding some notes up to the light, he also asked if we had any drugs or alcohol inthe car, he then retrurned the money and told us to carry on our journey. It was not until the next day when we arrived in Nerja we realised he had taken 550euros with out us realising. We then spent 3 hours in the local police station to be told they were probarbly Romanians posing as police and we had been scammed.
> Please do not stop for any one on the N1 or the motorways unless they are in official police cars and carry photo I D. We have been driving to spain for the past ten years with no prolems at all and feel totally stupid that we can be conned at our age but hope no one else is in the same situation as us.


what an awful thing to have happened!

but yes, the police are right - these sort of scams are happening all over the world - not just in Spain & not only with Romanians posing as police

the usual advice is - if in doubt refuse to get out of the car & offer to drive to the nearest police station - though the idea of digging my heels in & insisting on that terrifies me personally - the robbers might have guns!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

bingolily said:


> Hi my name is Sue and I live in the west midlands with my husband malcolm.
> We have just returned from a two week holiday in spain and would like to warn anyone who maybe thinking of driving to spain. We started our journey from calais and travelled all the way down to Bayonne with no problems, stayed in a hotel over night and left approx 07.00 to continue our journey to Nerja. Approx 2 hours from the border approx 1 hour from Madrid a car pulled up along side us with what appeared to be a police officer showing a badge and asking us to leave the road at the next junction. We followed the car of the slip road and stopped on a small roundabout. The man got out of the car and walked over to us asking for our passports and where we were going. He said he was border police patrol and that he needed to check our currency because english people had been coming to spain with couterfiet money . He checked our currency holding some notes up to the light, he also asked if we had any drugs or alcohol inthe car, he then retrurned the money and told us to carry on our journey. It was not until the next day when we arrived in Nerja we realised he had taken 550euros with out us realising. We then spent 3 hours in the local police station to be told they were probarbly Romanians posing as police and we had been scammed.
> Please do not stop for any one on the N1 or the motorways unless they are in official police cars and carry photo I D. We have been driving to spain for the past ten years with no prolems at all and feel totally stupid that we can be conned at our age but hope no one else is in the same situation as us.


Many thanks for the warning. The more people who know about this kind of thing the better.
However, I'm not sure what the best thing to do is - stop, drive off, contact police????
I myself can't imagine confronting someone like this once I've stopped and I speak good Spanish and have been here for more than 20 years. IF I stopped, I'd give the guy the money probably and then go to the nearest police station, but doing that when you don't know the area and don't speak the language sound pretty difficult to me...


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

When we first moved out here we had an incident that even to this day we're not sure about, We'd been here for just a few days. We were in a hire car driving a long a new piece of road - not fast and suddenly a police officer (??) stood out in the road and waved us over. He said, in broken english, we were speeding (if we were it wasnt by much (83 in an 80 area was what he said - in Spanish), anyway, he went thru our papers, passports etc and he insisted on a 80€ fine. What could we do?? So we handed over the money, he put it in his back pocket and waved us on!!!

But, the overriding question is, what do you do????

Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jojo said:


> When we first moved out here we had an incident that even to this day we're not sure about, We'd been here for just a few days. We were in a hire car driving a long a new piece of road - not fast and suddenly a police officer (??) stood out in the road and waved us over. He said, in broken english, we were speeding (if we were it wasnt by much (83 in an 80 area was what he said - in Spanish), anyway, he went thru our papers, passports etc and he insisted on a 80€ fine. What could we do?? So we handed over the money, he put it in his back pocket and waved us on!!!
> 
> But, the overriding question is, what do you do????
> 
> Jo xxx


I'd give them the money - my life is way more important


also I rarely carry much with me - just what I need - s they wouldn't get a lot anyway


the OP coming on hols would obviously be carrying more which would be why they were targeted - although I guess they didn't need to be carrying so much really, did they?


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## bingolily (Sep 1, 2010)

Hi the Police said not to stop unless it is an official police car with Guardia on the side.


Pesky Wesky said:


> Many thanks for the warning. The more people who know about this kind of thing the better.
> However, I'm not sure what the best thing to do is - stop, drive off, contact police????
> I myself can't imagine confronting someone like this once I've stopped and I speak good Spanish and have been here for more than 20 years. IF I stopped, I'd give the guy the money probably and then go to the nearest police station, but doing that when you don't know the area and don't speak the language sound pretty difficult to me...


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

bingolily said:


> Hi the Police said not to stop unless it is an official police car with Guardia on the side.


Sensible advice. The Guardia Civil never stray far from their vehicles, and it would be very hard for a conman to fake a police car!


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

bingolily said:


> Hi the Police said not to stop unless it is an official police car with Guardia on the side.


I was just going to say the same. I know it sounds daft but if a normal car pulled alongside and tried to stop me, I wouldnt stop. I would probably pull into the next town or built up area and stop where there were people around. 

My experience is that Guardia rarely pull you over in that way, they are usually in large groups, uniformed, with badged cars and a motorcycle bike nearby. In France I have heard similar stories of people being pulled over on minor roads.


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## Guest (Sep 2, 2010)

I got stopped for speeding by an unmarked car on the roads above Malaga. They wore Guardia uniforms, they had the video of me speeding, they checked my documents and then showed me the sliding scale of fines based on how much over the limit I was. There was no doubt they were the real mccoy but no sign of Guardia written on the car (for obvious reasons!)


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

When my daughter first moved to Spain she had a C.O.D delivery from a very famous Spanish department store. Thirty minutes later someone came back to the door and told her 200 euros was fake and she would have to exchange it which of course she did.. only to be told by the bank that the 200 euros she got off the man was a fake!! I told my daughter to phone the department store but she didn't as she didn't think her Spanish was up to it.. I don't know if the bank contacted the police but I don't think so.


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## zilly (Mar 9, 2010)

On the A357 up where I live there are lots of unmarked police cars--it's only when they get out you can see that they are wearing uniform. They seem to do the speed traps etc. As Shiny Andy says-no doubt that these are the real McCoy.


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## Guest (Sep 2, 2010)

Yup, similar area I guess.. mine was on the A45 hilly/twisty bit up just after Malaga toward Granada


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Well, as I said ... never seen one around here (but I guess they must be around) ... perhaps you're just all bad people down that way


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## Guest (Sep 2, 2010)

Of course! We're all ex-cons/drug dealers down here remember!!


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

ShinyAndy said:


> Of course! We're all ex-cons/drug dealers down here remember!!


DOH!

I forgot


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

ShinyAndy said:


> Of course! We're all ex-cons/drug dealers down here remember!!


that'd be it


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## Guest (Sep 2, 2010)

Still, pays the rent!


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

If an unmarked car attempted to stop me I would not do so unless its hidden blues/siren indicated that it was what it seemed to be.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

ShinyAndy said:


> Of course! We're all ex-cons/drug dealers down here remember!!


and/or tarts, mafia molls or Kerry Katona lookalikes..


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> and/or tarts, mafia molls or Kerry Katona lookalikes..


So that's why there is a dog in your profile pic then? In real life you look like Kerry Katona?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Alcalaina said:


> So that's why there is a dog in your profile pic then? In real life you look like Kerry Katona?


What an insult to my dog!! He is much better looking and more intelligent than Kerry Katona. Doesn't do drugs, get pissed or s*** anything that has a pulse(I won't let him)
He has gone off to sulk as he is VERY offended......


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## Guest (Sep 3, 2010)

I´m surprised he isn't in a permanent sulk if you won't let him do what he wants to with anything with a pulse!


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## bingolily (Sep 1, 2010)

playamonte said:


> If an unmarked car attempted to stop me I would not do so unless its hidden blues/siren indicated that it was what it seemed to be.


I know we thought that as well but hindsight is a great thing !!


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## bingolily (Sep 1, 2010)

zilly said:


> On the A357 up where I live there are lots of unmarked police cars--it's only when they get out you can see that they are wearing uniform. They seem to do the speed traps etc. As Shiny Andy says-no doubt that these are the real McCoy.


The police in Nerja told us they do not use unmarked police cars and only to stop if cars have Police on the side , also they never take you of the motorway.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

playamonte said:


> If an unmarked car attempted to stop me I would not do so unless its hidden blues/siren indicated that it was what it seemed to be.


Yes they always use them on unmarked cars when pulling you over, plus all police cars registration numbers start with the letters PGC ( poicía Guardía Civil ) whether they are marked or unmarked.

They've been using unmarked cars in Andalucia for at least 6 years . We've got some around here but they only use them , at the moment, for mobile camera work.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

ShinyAndy said:


> I´m surprised he isn't in a permanent sulk if you won't let him do what he wants to with anything with a pulse!



But he does unspeakable things with his toy teddy bear. Very embarrassing when we have refined visitors. (More tea, vicar????......)


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

the usual advice is - if in doubt refuse to get out of the car & offer to drive to the nearest police station - though the idea of digging my heels in & insisting on that terrifies me personally - the robbers might have guns![/QUOTE]

Never mind the robbers having guns, if they are genuine police, the thought of digging my heels in scares me more - the police have guns too 

Definately ask to see ID, no matter why you have been pulled, a genuine cop will show you it!


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