IRISH holidaymakers travelling to Spain this summer have been warmed to be wary of a scam targeting tourists on the beachfront.
Some tourists have already admitted they “got caught” by the bogus scheme.
A warning has been issued to Irish holidaymakers in Spain as a new ‘scam’ sweeps the popular resort town[/caption]
Frank, known as Frank the Stag Man, has been living in Benidorm and hosting lively events for tourists for over a decade.
He took to TikTok to warn Irish tourists heading to the popular resort town over a new trick that will leave you out of pocket.
Frank has captured a number of people on the beachfront in Benidorm holding clipboards and approaching tourists following an invitation to fill out a “petition.”
Holidaymakers are asked to sign a petition and are pushed into making a donation.
Frank said: “As you’ve seen there, this is one of the scams that runs along the beachfront.” So what’s the con?”
His partner interjected, saying: “They’ll say it’s for the blind or the disabled and that they are petitioning to get something sorted here in Spain.
“It’s full of a load of rubbish and illegal to do this here in Spain.”
Frank added: “They’re illegal, scamming, and they will take your money. Some people even get their wallets out and give them a few quid.”
Spain is one of the most popular holiday spots for Irish tourists, with milions visiting the beautiful sunshine destination every year.
But multiple people visiting the beautiful spot have been caught out by the fraudsters.
Taking to the comments section, one TikTok user said: “My husband fell for this in Old Town.
“A guy claiming he was deaf, my husband being deaf, we didn’t realise the scam till after.”
Someone else added: “I got caught in Old Town, he wanted €10 from me, when I said no he was so rude until my husband showed up.”
A third recalled: “I had this scam done to me and my partner luckily we had no cash on us.”
A fourth wrote: “I had the same guy do it at Placa del Castell last Wednesday. Told him no three times for him to go away.
“Felt bad for the ones who stop and listen to him that don’t know any better.”
ANOTHER ‘BIG PROBLEM’
Frank has also shared a separate video last week highlighting another “big problem” with holidaymakers having their phone stolen while visiting the Spanish spot.
He said: “Generally, what happens is, someone comes up to you and they’ll say to you, ‘Oh, I’m with some friends, and I’m lost, and I don’t know where I’m going. Can you do a Google Map search for me?’
“What you do, because you’re a nice person, is you whip your phone out, you get your Google Maps up, and as soon as you get your Google Maps up, they grab the phone and run off with it.”
Benidorm was the most searched destination from Ireland on Google last year, according to The Travel Expert.
And Spain is the favourite holiday sport for Irish holidaymakers with around 2.5 million people heading there each year.
