Beware Robbery Attempts at Galleria Pacifico

michal1047

Registered
Joined
May 20, 2009
Messages
18
Likes
6
I and my friend....both expats from Chicago....whom split living between 6 months in Bs.As. and Guadalajara Mexico were standing outside Galleria Pacifico on Viamonte between Florida and San Martin this past Sat. eve at 2000. We were taking photos of a wedding at the church on San Martin.....

All of a sudden we felt something wet on both of our backs......which was a purple color....Almost instantaly a young well dressed man came up to us with a bottle of water to assist to take the spots out....My friend new immediately the scam and said...Michael your wallet.....I had my wallet in my front pocket....But this boy was slick and was able to get my wallet out.....:eek:

We evidently startled him...as I immediately yelled Robbo......and the young hooligan dropped my wallet and walked very quickly down Viamonte. A polica heard my words and took off after him.....The young man got away....But without my wallet and the contents therein.

Thus beware and be forearmed if this should happen to anyone of the many expats living here......This same scam has surfaced in Guadalajara Mexico as well....using mustard...I now keep my hand in my pocket over my wallet....and am watching my back.....We still love Bs.As. and know this can happen in any large city....
saludos
Michael D.
 
michal1047 said:
I and my friend....both expats from Chicago....whom split living between 6 months in Bs.As. and Guadalajara Mexico were standing outside Galleria Pacifico on Viamonte between Florida and San Martin this past Sat. eve at 2000. We were taking photos of a wedding at the church on San Martin.....

All of a sudden we felt something wet on both of our backs......which was a purple color....Almost instantaly a young well dressed man came up to us with a bottle of water to assist to take the spots out....My friend new immediately the scam and said...Michael your wallet.....I had my wallet in my front pocket....But this boy was slick and was able to get my wallet out.....:eek:

We evidently startled him...as I immediately yelled Robbo......and the young hooligan dropped my wallet and walked very quickly down Viamonte. A polica heard my words and took off after him.....The young man got away....But without my wallet and the contents therein.

Thus beware and be forearmed if this should happen to anyone of the many expats living here......This same scam has surfaced in Guadalajara Mexico as well....using mustard...I now keep my hand in my pocket over my wallet....and am watching my back.....We still love Bs.As. and know this can happen in any large city....
saludos
Michael D.

Thanks for posting, this is one of the oldest scams going here and elsewhere.
 
I never carry a wallet. I estimate the amount of money that I'll need and have a photocopy of my passport. If I need more cash, I go home to get it. Does it make sense to carry credit and atm cards at night? Doesn't to me. I also haven't worn a watch in years. I keep a beautiful 30 peso watch in my pocket. It tells the same time as a costly Rolex.
 
fred mertz said:
I never carry a wallet. I estimate the amount of money that I'll need and have a photocopy of my passport. If I need more cash, I go home to get it. Does it make sense to carry credit and atm cards at night? Doesn't to me. I also haven't worn a watch in years. I keep a beautiful 30 peso watch in my pocket. It tells the same time as a costly Rolex.

Why do you need the photocopy?
 
Futboljunkie said:
Why do you need the photocopy?

You are required by Argentine law to have id on you at all times. An officer can stop anyone on the street and ask to see their id for no reason. I doubt the police would ask tourists, but if that happens, and you do not have your id on you just pull your gringo card, and start speaking English.
 
If you don´t have a dni you should have a photocopy of your passport in case of an emergency. Also you should be registered with your embassy. When I lived in Japan it was necessary to carry an ID card, like a DNI, at all times. The police there are taken seriously and can ask you for your ID. It happened to me. I knew someone who forgot his and wound up spending the night in jail.
 
VERY IMPORTANT: Things you should know

If you ever get pick pocketed in Florida street or surroundings all along from Diagonal Norte to San Marting park you should immediately start looking for your wallet around the block and in the garbage cans. It happened to me a couple times and found my wallet twice.

The people that rob there are mostly doing it in couples. The "work" in groups of 2 or 3 couples. The most sensitive areas are around Galerías Pacífico (Church) and Av. Corrientes and Florida.

Don't waste time complaining these people can't be caught. They are very quick, in a fraction of a second they discard your wallet empty.

Police can't put them in jail cause you can't prove they did it. They act in groups gathering from 3 to 4 thousand pesos a day, if by chance they got caught they have the whole thing worked out with a damn attorney that will free them in a blink of an eye.

A few tips:
  • Never put wallet or valuable stuff in the outer pockets of your back pack.
  • Put your back pack in the front
  • Wallet in frontal pockets of your pants
  • Stay always alert, taking every few steps a glance over your shoulders.
  • Between 12-14 hs and 17-19 hs be Extra careful.
 
You can not pay with credit card without original ID or passport. No copy. (I have tried several times with a copy and I even tried my international drivers licence -no luck)

I use my husbands creditcard a lot but ever since january I get more and more trouble with this (we have different names). They really check the names!
 
Back
Top