In a matter of weeks, two cases of large-scale robberies and scams closely related to the tourism sector on the neighboring island have put the safety of the Canary Islands as a tourist destination in the international spotlight.
“Britain scam: Tips on Tenerife tablet scam” and “Britain's main holiday airport at center of £1,7m suitcase theft ring” are some of the headlines have been able to see in renowned British media such as BBCo The Sun when reporting on events that have occurred in Tenerife in recent weeks.
The first and most recent is a criminal organization that was dedicated to selling electronic devices to older tourists with pre-installed malicious software so that, once they started using the device, it could access their banking details and steal funds from their accounts.
The investigation by the National Police into this case left a total of 3 detainees on January 33, accused of belonging to a criminal organization, money laundering and fraud. According to the agents' estimates, with this method they would have managed to scam nearly two thousand tourists from countries such as the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Italy, among others. others; although the majority of those affected were British tourists.
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A modus operandi that allowed them to steal an amount greater than four million euros, which has meant that even the Police have had to enable an email address so that victims can request information on how to proceed with this crime. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has also reminded that it has a guide on how to report crimes abroad.
A completely planned crime that was carried out in a very precise and organized manner with tourists as the main objective, something that we could treat as an exception if it were not for the fact that the Civil Guard dismantled a criminal organization of similar magnitude just a few weeks ago also in Tenerife South. .
On this occasion, it was an organization made up of workers from the Tenerife South Airport who stole objects such as clothing, watches, electronic devices, jewelry or cash from the suitcases they handled when loading and unloading the plane's hold.
A fact that was picked up by the international press and that the sensational British tabloids did not waste to get the most out of it and even question the safety of the island for foreign tourists.
Concern has already been expressed among the tourism sector of Tenerife and the rest of the islands regarding these events and the national and international dissemination that they have had, which could tarnish the name of the Canary Islands as a favorite tourist destination for the British, Germans or Nordics. and hinder the archipelago's positioning in new emerging markets.
