A Benidorm expert has warned tourists there’s currently a big problem in the area – and urged holiday makers to be vigilant.
Frank, known as frankthestagmanofficial on TikTok, is known for organising stag dos and hen parties at the hotspot in Spain, but he also makes videos to offer people travel advice too. In a recent clip, he revealed there’s a big issue impacting people travelling there.
He issued a warning to travellers warning people “this is really happening”, as he told them to be “very, very careful” when visiting. Frank said there’s a “big problem” with people getting their phones stolen.
In the video, he explained: “Generally, what happens is, someone comes upto 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.”
Frank said, if you’re wondering why they make you open your phone up first, there’s a reason behind it. It’s simply because you’ve unlocked it, so they can “help themselves” to all your apps, your cash apps and everything else.
If someone comes up to you and tells this kind of story he urges you not to get your phone out. He admitted he knows it’s a “horrible” thing to say, but you need to be careful, as it’s a problem at the moment.
“You help that one person, they’ll run off with your phone, they’ll take all your money”, he added. “Just basically destory whatever they can.
“And, do you know what people, let me tell you this right now, no one’s going to help you then.”
More than 16,000 people have viewed the video since it was shared – and people were grateful he issued the advice.
One person replied, saying: “It’s rife now, and dangerous too.” Another said: “Such a shame for people who genuinely might need help as we’re all too scared to help anyone.”
A third noted: “Like a standard day in London then.” Meanwhile, a fourth commented: “This happened to me in Bilbao. Ironically, I spent the rest of my holiday asking strangers if I could use their Google Maps to work out where I was going. Didn’t run off though.”
Others were also quick to thank him for the warning, but noted some banking apps use facial recogniton to ensure people can’t access your account. It’s probably still not worth the risk though.