EXPATS are warned to be on the alert after a resident in Calahonda fell victim to an elaborate ‘flat tyre’ scam.
What appeared to be a helpful roadside gesture for Inken T, a German expat in Andalucia, turned out to be a carefully staged theft, leaving her without her handbag, cash, and important documents.
Inken has warned neighbours falling victim to what appears to be a cruelly coordinated con shortly after withdrawing cash from a local bank.
The German expat, who has been living in Spain for over ten years, says she’s focused on ‘putting the pieces back together’ after yesterday’s episode.
“I refuse to see the bad in people and tend to seek out the good,” she told to The Olive Press.
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The theft incident occurred on the small road connecting the area near Miel y Nata with Avenida de Europa on Tuesday morning.
According to the victim’s account, she had just visited a branch of Banco Sabadell to withdraw money before driving uphill toward Avenida de Europa.
While en route, another driver alerted her that she appeared to have a flat tyre.
Inken stopped the vehicle and contacted her insurance provider for roadside assistance.
While waiting, a man approached her and offered his help, reportedly showing her he had a tyre repair spray.
Based on her account, the man was in his mid-30s and wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, speaking Spanish with a Latin American accent.
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The man offered to help fix and inflate the tyre, but claimed it was not working properly.
He then told her he had another spray and would retrieve it, encouraging her to continue trying with the existing one.
Inken was outside of her vehicle and focusing on her damaged tyre.
At this point, she believed she was receiving help from a good Samaritan.
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However, just moments later, she looked inside her vehicle to discover her handbag had been taken from the car.
She claimed the whole scenario was already invasive, having to deal with the damaged tyre.
Then, to realise that her bag was missing important documents and a significant amount of money – an amount that surpasses Spain’s legal threshold to be classified as serious theft – Inken admitted it was a ‘psychologically bad’ experience.
Once roadside assistance arrived, the technician showed her that the tyre had been deliberately punctured with a long, sharp metal object.
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Inken described the object as around 6cm long, and sharp like a knife. She believes the puncture was intentional and part of a coordinated theft.
When questioned whether she believed it was just one person who committed the crime, Inken stressed that due to the elaborate methods that must have gone into the scam, it was not likely a one-person job.
She suspects that the perpetrators tampered with her tyre near the bank and followed her vehicle, waiting for her to stop before carrying out the distraction robbery scheme.
In addition to losing a significant amount of cash, Inken now faces the process of replacing important documents and the cost of repairing her vehicle.
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In photographs shared via Facebook, the victim posted the sharp metal object that pierced her tyre.
Inken explained that she took all the right measures following the crime. She immediately went to the police to file a denuncia, contacted the bank’s security and turned off her bank card.
Thankfully, she had her phone and car keys on her person at the time of the theft.
This isn’t her first issue with crime across Spain’s southern region. Inken told The Olive Press that she had her wallet stolen out of her purse several years ago in Fuengirola.
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During her wedding weekend last year, three of her guests were mugged in the same area.
Despite this, Inken is still optimistic about residing in Spain, and is grateful for the amount of positive comments and feedback she’s received from her Facebook post.
According to several comments on her post, other locals have insisted this type of ‘damaged tyre scam’ has been going on for years.
When asked what advice she would give other tourists and expats after this experience, Inken said to ‘be vigilant, be vigilant, be vigilant.’
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“Have your bag under your arm, and always be aware of your surroundings,” she said.
Costa del Sol is no stranger to high crime rates. Spain’s Ministry of the Interior published its 2024 crime report which indicated the region of Andalucia experienced 409,698 crimes.
In terms of robberies, Spain reported 633,888 theft crimes in 2025.
Tourists from the UK have been warned online about both street crimes and vehicle theft. The official foreign travel advice from the UK government explained that ‘thieves use distraction techniques and often work in teams.’
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So-called ‘highway pirates’ have been found to use tactics like flagging you down and ‘claiming there is something wrong with your car or that you have damaged theirs.’
Tourists are alerted to ‘be wary of anyone offering help.’
Local residents and tourists are advised to be cautious if approached by strangers offering unsolicited roadside assistance, particularly after visiting banks or handling cash.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact local authorities.
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