{"id":51784,"date":"2026-07-08T01:45:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T01:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/51784\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T01:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T01:45:10","slug":"brazen-pickpockets-prey-on-vulnerable-tourists-as-millions-swarm-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/51784\/","title":{"rendered":"Brazen pickpockets prey on vulnerable tourists as millions swarm Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

As tourists descend on one of\u00a0Spain\u2019s most popular summer destinations, the familiar problem of pickpocketing has emerged.<\/p>\n

Multiple viral videos appear to show tourists being targeted by pickpockets in Mallorca, Spain\u2019s largest Balearic Island.<\/p>\n

The incidents occurred\u00a0near Palma, the capital of Mallorca, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.<\/p>\n

In one video recently published by the\u00a0Mallorca Daily Bulletin<\/a>, a group of young pickpockets targeted an elderly couple.<\/p>\n

In the footage, an older man is seen standing and looking in one direction as the group of young people walks close to him and appears to remove items from his pocket. He was seemingly unaware it was happening.<\/p>\n

Another video shows two young men appearing to steal a wallet out of an elderly woman\u2019s bag as she walked near Palma Cathedral.<\/p>\n

Along with Ibiza and Menorca, Mallorca is one of Spain\u2019s most popular\u00a0Mediterranean destinations\u00a0\u2014 and it\u2019s been struggling with overtourism.<\/p>\n

The island received around 13.5 million visitors in 2025, Fox News Digital previously reported \u2014 a large number for an island that measures roughly 1,400 square miles, slightly smaller than Rhode Island.<\/p>\n

\"PeopleViral videos captured on social media show tourists being targeted by pickpockets across Spain. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Older travelers aren\u2019t targeted simply because of their age, said Angel Castellanos, a California-based travel expert and host of<\/a> \u201cThe Tour Guy\u201d on YouTube.<\/p>\n

\u201cCriminals tend to look for people who appear distracted, overloaded with shopping bags, unfamiliar with their surroundings or less able to react quickly,\u201d Castellanos told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe same can be true of travelers who are intoxicated, particularly in nightlife districts where situational awareness is lower.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"VisitorsThe Majorca Daily Bulletin stated that the incidents have occurred in Palma, the capital of Mallorca, which is Spain\u2019s largest Balearic Island. Getty Images<\/p>\n

He said that the prevalence of pickpocketing<\/a> can be attributed, in part, to international tourism rebounding beyond pre-pandemic levels\u00a0across much of Europe.<\/p>\n

Castellanos, who says he\u2019s visited over 100 countries, has traveled extensively without being pickpocketed, he said. Staying aware of his surroundings has been key, he related.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s because I treat busy tourist areas the same way I would any major city: I enjoy the destination, but I never stop paying attention to where my valuables are,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He cited anti-theft cross-body bags and zippered front pockets as crucial ways\u00a0travelers can protect themselves\u00a0from pickpockets. He also recommended avoiding placing phones on caf\u00e9 tables.<\/p>\n

Castellanos added that a little situational awareness \u201cgoes a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTravelers shouldn\u2019t let headlines discourage them from visiting\u00a0Mallorca,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s one of Europe\u2019s great summer destinations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe takeaway isn\u2019t to avoid these places. It\u2019s to travel smarter.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As tourists descend on one of\u00a0Spain\u2019s most popular summer destinations, the familiar problem of pickpocketing has emerged. Multiple…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51785,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1957,17,988,9973,357],"class_list":["post-51784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-lifestyle","tag-spain","tag-tourism","tag-tourists","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}