Many of us who have spent a long time living in the Medina are aware of the rogue cash machines that take your card but do not produce the cash - and when you check your bank statement you see that money has in fact gone. Thankfully this scam is less frequent these days. However a new threat has emerged. At certain ATM's in the Medina an accomplice will watch you take out money and then phone a thief who waits for you to appear in a quiet street. Recently this happened to Elizabeth. Here is her story..
Talaa Sghira ATM, an ambush waiting to happen17th June at 1100 in the morning….I was putting the last things together before meeting my driver in an hour to take us to the airport….off to the UK .
My partner went off for a quick haircut, and I considered waiting for him to come with me to the Banque Populaire ATM on Talaa Sghira, but as time was short, I decided to go ahead, alone.
Whenever I have been to this ATM…my closest, I feel watched, and have varied my route home often, but on this occasion I chose the shortest route.
The streets were busy, I took my money out….more money than usual to leave plenty for the carpenter needing to be paid while I was away, and made my way back through busy Souiot Bensafi, around the corner into Zkak Rowah, the street between the 2 Talaa’s, and turned the corner into Zkak el’Ma….
Suddenly, I became aware of the street being totally empty, and the dark figure of a man came quickly towards me out of a dark doorway immediately on my left….he said nothing…took hold of my handbag which was firmly across my body.
No way did I want this man to have my possessions and my money I was about to put in the bank on the way to the airport, and my passport!!!!!!!!! Oh No! my passport.
.
I MUST be on that plane and so I fought back. I was very strong in the tug of war, and my good quality travel handbag strap was holding up to the tussle…until he brought out a heavy piece of wood and began giving me a beating across my hands..thumbs and all along the left arm.
My eyes were fixed on another man who just stood, watching the entire episode, ignoring my screams for help….I was OUTRAGED at what was happening as my experience in Morocco has been that people help their neighbours...and this man could see that I was being beaten brutally, and just watched!
Eventually, realization struck that I had my British passport back home, and that I could still catch that plane out….so I let go, and off he ran around the corner and down into Ono Rowafi…which was teaming with life, and no-one tried to stop him, despite my screams.
The cast is now set on my broken wrist and thumb, the bruises and lacerations on my arm are fading, and the right thumb is still very ugly, nail about to fall off. I cannot cradle my grand babies, and throw them over my shoulder as grandmothers love to do, but I am alive…
THE LESSON IS - BE CAREFUL AND IF POSSIBLE NEVER GO TO AN ATM ALONE
The View from Fez would like to thank Elizabeth for sharing her story.
Photo credit: Lumen
Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
3 comments:
I sincerely hope the culprits are caught and justice is served to these pathetic individuals. If the government believes foreign investment & tourism is critical to preserve the medina and create employment, more must be done to protect foreigners. Safety and stability are the key precursors to investment and prosperity. Too many people known to me (both foreign and Fassi), are being mugged & mutilated for some petty cash or their mobile phone. Really just sad, pathetic and disillusioning.
In addition, beware the Society Generale ATM at Bab Boujloud. It almost never dispenses the cash, but still debits your account. They have even forced a direct debit withdrawal from my account, without my authorization, which is currently being investigated and recovered by my bank in my home country.
I suggest NEVER to use this one.
Yes the Bab Boujeloud ATM is notorious and the bank staff refuse to believe they have a problem. I have twice lost money and Visa complained that they had no help from the bank when they investigated.
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