Break in on Motorway services in France (1 Viewer)

Kelso

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Sep 19, 2013
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Hi all,
We were parked up at a motorhome service station south of Montpellier in France.
They broke in to our motorhome while we were asleep and stole cash and cards.
We have since beefed up our security.
The point I want to make is:
We were stranded without any funds (no cash, no cards) and the banks didn't help us at all.
We discovered that we could obtain funds through Western Union (whom we had never used before).
They were great.
So if you find yourself in a similar situation and have got online banking plus access to the net, then you can register on their website and set up a transfer from you online banking and get cash immediately.
This certainly saved us.
Hope this helps.
 

sdc77

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Jan 28, 2013
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Hopefully you got over this and enjoyed the rest of your time away.
Was it an aire? or a service station on the autoroute?
 
Feb 22, 2011
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Why were your bank unwilling to help you out ?
You should not need to be messing around with western union in a situation like that.
Name and shame the bank I say !
BTW, hope it didn`t spoil you holiday too much

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Sep 11, 2014
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Sorry to hear about your bad experience.

We sleep with cash, cards, passports etc under our pillow. Too late for you but maybe a thought for the future?

Is it coincidental that the Vanbitz ad is at the top of this page :D
 
Jul 13, 2008
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Hi all,
We were parked up at a motorhome service station south of Montpellier in France.
They broke in to our motorhome while we were asleep and stole cash and cards.
We have since beefed up our security.
The point I want to make is:
We were stranded without any funds (no cash, no cards) and the banks didn't help us at all.
We discovered that we could obtain funds through Western Union (whom we had never used before).
They were great.
So if you find yourself in a similar situation and have got online banking plus access to the net, then you can register on their website and set up a transfer from you online banking and get cash immediately.
This certainly saved us.
Hope this helps.
Sorry to here of your breakin Kelso, was there a reason you slept on a Motorway filling station?Lots on here and other places saying do no sleep there, put into a village off the motorway.
 

scotty1

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Mar 10, 2010
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Could you not find somewhere in a motorhome that you could hide a credit card or money incase of breakin especially that you were asleep in there????

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DuxDeluxe

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Jul 10, 2008
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Could you not find somewhere in a motorhome that you could hide a credit card or money incase of breakin especially that you were asleep in there????
Sorry to hear of that, and thanks for the tip

We have a floor safe that is under the vinyl (given to us by the dealer after we bought the van at a show) and also a carpet over that.

.......and a dog

....if anyone defeats the strikeback alarm

@reckless - this section is sponsored by vanbitz....
 
Aug 18, 2014
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I'm always surprised at how many people don't have a safe. My mate is on his 3rd or 4th van & has never had one in any of them.

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DuxDeluxe

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I'm always surprised at how many people don't have a safe. My mate is on his 3rd or 4th van & has never had one in any of them.
We have a secondary safe.

Mrs Deluxe's purse. She is half Yorkshire and 1/4 Dutch!

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RogerThat

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May 20, 2016
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Me too, bizarre! I've heard Western Union is the 'bank' of choice with scammers world wide. Amazed they were actually able to help someone!

Which goes to show how crap our banks are I guess :(
 
Feb 22, 2011
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Regarding safes - they`re a bit of a red flag directing thieves to where the valuables are kept and I speak from experience (domestic situation) Unless you spend serious money safes are easily opened or crowbarred out.
I replaced the safe and put a not too polite message inside to any scroat who may thieve it in the future.
Valuable are now hidden in a suitable place that a thief will not find, hopefully.
I can see the attraction of a safe in a moho but I think the same applies.
I have a hiding place in the moho for cash, cards and passports etc, very unlikely to be found, especially with us in it (n)

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Apr 15, 2015
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Most thieves are opportunist cowards. They want to get in and out as quick as possible and, unless you're really unfortunate, don't like confrontation.

Hide your valuables where they've got to get past you to get them or, as suggested by a poster above, somewhere they won't be found in a hurry.
 

DuxDeluxe

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Regarding safes - they`re a bit of a red flag directing thieves to where the valuables are kept and I speak from experience (domestic situation) Unless you spend serious money safes are easily opened or crowbarred out.
I replaced the safe and put a not too polite message inside to any scroat who may thieve it in the future.
Valuable are now hidden in a suitable place that a thief will not find, hopefully.
I can see the attraction of a safe in a moho but I think the same applies.
I have a hiding place in the moho for cash, cards and passports etc, very unlikely to be found, especially with us in it (n)
Yes you are right, but the idea is to deter the casual thief. A professional is not easily deterred.

We have a safe at home which isn't in an obvious place, but we are under no illusions. In the van it is similar - in the floor the safe is there but if someone really wants it then they will have it. Casual thieves need not apply.......

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EX51SSS

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Jul 18, 2015
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Regarding safes - they`re a bit of a red flag directing thieves to where the valuables are kept and I speak from experience (domestic situation) Unless you spend serious money safes are easily opened or crowbarred out.
I replaced the safe and put a not too polite message inside to any scroat who may thieve it in the future.
Valuable are now hidden in a suitable place that a thief will not find, hopefully.
I can see the attraction of a safe in a moho but I think the same applies.
I have a hiding place in the moho for cash, cards and passports etc, very unlikely to be found, especially with us in it (n)
That's providing they could locate the safe. Unlike in a building and behind locked doors, safes for Moho's don't need to keep masses of documentation and wedges of dosh. A small safe, very discreetly positioned is ideal plus, as we've discovered on here, quite a few Moho owners don't have safes so why would they take their time looking for something that may or may not be there. It takes me 10 minutes to access my safe and I know exactly where it is. It's placed.......
 

Techno

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Get a Revolut card on your phone you don't need anything else.
I'd advise sleeping on your cards and cash rather than leaving them so easily accessible
I cannot imagine mine getting taken while I'm in the van so I'm extremely sceptical

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EX51SSS

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I feel very much for you but tbf, it reminds me of a family of 4 who lost all their designer watches and jewellery plus very expensive clothes after being gassed at a French service station. Are you extremely heavy sleepers and left your wallet, purse in full view and also on a deserted part of the service area?
 

Techno

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I believe any banking app will give you a code to draw cash anywhere in an emergency, certainly Nat West do so I don't understand the plug for an organisation like western union
 

EX51SSS

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I believe any banking app will give you a code to draw cash anywhere in an emergency, certainly Nat West do so I don't understand the plug for an organisation like western union
Yes my bank does and also SWMBO's. However, that's assuming they left the phone as phones are particularly expensive in France

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Apr 13, 2012
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My hiding places are so good sometimes even I can't find (remember) them..............................




....seriously! :doh:

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Gorse Hill

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Get a Revolut card on your phone you don't need anything else.
I'd advise sleeping on your cards and cash rather than leaving them so easily accessible
I cannot imagine mine getting taken while I'm in the van so I'm extremely sceptical
Sleeping with your cards is fine so long as your ready for a tear up if the scroats are determined, if not let them have the stuff it can all be replaced
 

GeriatricWanderer

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My hiding places are so good sometimes even I can't find (remember) them..............................




....seriously! :doh:

I have a spare van key wrapped in a €50 note secreted ,.......................... somewhere :)

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