British tourists in Sicily targeted by criminals with car damage scam

Exclusive: ‘He demanded money. We were frightened, in a panic, saw no police, spoke no Italian and were very aware of our pressing need to get to the airport’

Mondello beach in Sicily (Pietro Columba/Wikimedia Commons)

British holidaymakers in Sicily are being targeted by criminals who are intimidating them into paying hundreds of euros for fictitious car damage.

On Sunday, 24 June, Rob Hodgson from West Yorkshire was driving from his hotel to Catania airport when a black car appeared behind him. It was weaving wildly along the road with flashing headlights and the horn sounding.

Initially, he thought that he had left something important at the hotel and they were chasing him to give it back, so he pulled over.

“The driver got out behind us and was very animated, shouting and aggressive. He showed me his smashed driver’s side mirror and claimed that I had hit him.

“He demanded money. We were frightened, in a panic, saw no police, spoke no Italian and were very aware of our pressing need to get to the airport.”

As part of the scam, the con artist surreptitiously smeared black grease on the side of Mr Hodgson’s rental car, which helped create the illusion that a collision had taken place.

“He temporarily convinced me that I had, in fact, damaged his car. He produced a can of spray and a cloth, and wiped everything clean. I suspect that he did this in case at any stage the police became involved, he could deny everything.”

The man then demanded that Mr Hodgson followed him to the nearest “Bancomat”, the Italian term for ATM. “We followed for 10 minutes to the nearest small town, where I withdrew the euros he demanded.”

Before fleeing, the con man demanded yet more cash from Mr Hodgson, which he refused to hand over.

“We were distraught. This man was very threatening. It was Sunday morning and we didn’t see any police. We felt trapped and our only recourse was to pay him off.

“He was clearly a local, because he knew his way around,” said Mr Hodgson.

With a plane to catch, Mr and Mrs Hodgson did not have time to report the issue to the police. But they did inform the manager of the car-rental office.

”He was incredibly sympathetic. He also said that this was happening more often.”

Another motorist, Arturo Perdicchia, reports a similar incident on the island. He had just set off driving back to his home in Britain after a holiday in Sicily, when he noticed a car was repeatedly overtaking and slowing down, requiring him to overtake it.

“On the last occasion I overtook this black car, I heard something like a metal object hit my car,” said Mr Perdicchia.

“I put it down to road debris. After overtaking the car I settled in the slow lane and carried on. The next moment the black car was by the side of me and motioned with his hand to stop by the side of the road.

“I put two and two together and thought that he had seen some damage on the car. He said that I had knocked his wing mirror off and that I should pay for the damage in cash.

“I suggested that this couldn’t possibly be me as my wing mirror was intact and in normal working condition. He then insisted that I pay €300. I said that I wasn’t going pay for something I hadn’t done, and suggested he call the police to solve this matter.

“He became more angry and said if I didn’t his friend would be angry. His friend was watching from another car nearby.

“I felt threatened and thought the best way out of this was to bargain quickly down to €100 and get out of there as soon as possible.”

Motoring organisations urged British motorists not to stop in such circumstances. Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “Just as British roads suffer from drivers staging crash-for-cash ‘accidents’, some on the Continent try to carry out similar fraudulent schemes.

“If you find yourself in this position, drivers should try to remain calm and should not stop unless instructed to by the police.

“We would also recommend driving to the nearest possible town or city using built up roads, in an effort to find an officer who can assist you.”

RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis echoed the advice to keep driving, saying: “The moment you stop and begin to engage with the criminal, you are on the back foot and a confrontation could ensue.

“It’s also a good idea to take a dash cam with you if you have one, as video and photo evidence of this could be provided to the authorities at a later date.

“It is vital that anyone who is a victim of such tactics makes a report to the Italian police as soon as possible – even if this is at the airport just before returning home.

“The more visibility there is of the problem, the more likely it will be that the Italian authorities will investigate.”

“While these sorts of incidents will be frightening for those involved, it is important to remember that the vast majority of car journeys British drivers will take in Sicily will be incident-free.”

The Foreign Office warns British travellers to Italy that thieves sometimes target hire cars, and that robberies have been reported particularly in and around Rome, Milan and Pisa and near Catania airport.