1. Fake plain-clothes police wallet check
Thieves posing as plain-clothes officers stop tourists and claim they must inspect a wallet for counterfeit notes or ID verification. While 'checking', they palm cash or cards. The UK FCDO warns explicitly that genuine Spanish police — including plain-clothes officers — carry official ID and will never ask to handle your wallet or purse.
Warning signs
- A 'policeman' in civilian clothes flashes a badge too quickly to read
- He asks to see inside your wallet, not just your passport
- A second 'officer' or 'fellow tourist' appears to reassure you
- Pressure to hand the wallet over on the street rather than at a station
How to avoid it
- Offer your passport or ID only — never your wallet or PIN
- Ask to see official police ID and offer to continue at the nearest police station
- Call 112 to verify the officers if anything feels wrong
- Keep cash split between pockets so one loss is small
Sources
2. Barajas airport taxi touts and fare inflation
Unlicensed drivers approach arrivals at Madrid-Barajas offering rides, then charge well above the regulated fare or claim the meter 'doesn't work'. Madrid's official tourism board publishes a fixed €33 airport rate covering all journeys between the airport and anywhere inside the M-30 ring road, and the FCDO notes passengers caught using unlicensed taxis in Spain can themselves face fines of up to €600.
Warning signs
- Someone approaches you inside the terminal offering a taxi
- Car is not white with the red diagonal band and city crest
- Driver quotes a flat price far above €33 for a central destination
- No green 'libre' light or meter in the car
How to avoid it
- Walk to the signed taxi rank outside arrivals — never ride with a solicitor
- Quote the €33 fixed rate for trips inside the M-30 before getting in
- Check the white car with red diagonal stripe and ask for a receipt
- Use Metro line 8, the Exprés Aeropuerto bus or an app like Free Now or Cabify
Sources
3. 'Lucky rosemary' fortune-tellers
Women working tourist areas such as Puerta del Sol press a sprig of rosemary into your hand as a 'gift', then seize your palm, start a fortune reading and aggressively demand payment — commonly reported at €5–€20 — creating a loud scene if you refuse. The con is documented across Spain's tourist hotspots, including Madrid, in both consumer press and travel-industry guides.
Warning signs
- An older woman thrusts a herb sprig toward your hand
- She grabs your hand or wrist before you can decline
- Talk of 'good luck' or a free blessing turns into a demand for cash
How to avoid it
- Keep your hands in your pockets or at your sides when approached
- Say 'no' firmly and keep walking — do not take anything offered
- If a sprig is forced on you, drop it and move away
- Do not engage in conversation; any reply starts the pitch
Sources
4. Distraction-theft teams (stain spill, petitions, map help)
Teams work Sol, Gran Vía and the Metro: one member spills liquid or 'bird droppings' on you, waves a petition clipboard, or asks for map help while a partner lifts your phone or wallet. The FCDO warns that thieves in Spain use distraction techniques and work in teams, and Spanish travel advisories specifically describe the stain trick and fake petitions in Madrid's busiest areas.
Warning signs
- A stranger points out a stain on your clothes and insists on helping clean it
- Young people crowd in with a clipboard petition
- Someone unfolds a large map over your table or lap
- Artificial jostling in a Metro carriage as doors close
How to avoid it
- Refuse all cleaning help and move away while checking your pockets
- Never sign street petitions; keep walking
- Wear bags across the body with zips closed in crowds and on the Metro
- Use the Spanish police ALERT COPS app to report theft quickly
Sources
Practical safety briefing
- Airport arrival: At Barajas, use only the signed official taxi ranks — the fixed rate to anywhere inside the M-30 is €33 — or take Metro line 8 or the airport express bus; terminal touts are unlicensed and using them can even draw a fine.
- Trusted transport: Official white taxis with the red diagonal band, Free Now and Cabify apps, and the Metro are the local standards.
- Money & payments: Change money only at banks or official exchange offices — the FCDO warns unofficial changers may pass counterfeit notes, a serious offence to possess in Spain. Use bank-branch ATMs.
Official travel advisories
- UK FCDO — Warns of thieves posing as police officers who ask to inspect wallets, distraction-theft teams, and fines of up to €600 for passengers using unlicensed taxis.
Compiled from documented reports and government advisories. How we verify scams. Last verified July 2026.