The number of Romanians whose cars are stolen in Greece is increasing. The reason why thieves prefer cars with foreign numbers

Greek authorities say the thieves prefer cars with foreign number plates, which they then use to traffic migrants. Therefore, it is advisable to use only video-surveillance car parks, which thieves avoid.

One of the cars recently pursued by the Greek authorities was stolen at night in Athens, in the Piraeus port area. The owners discovered the theft on their first day of vacation. Being over ten years old, the car did not have theft insurance.

loss: ”We usually stay one or two nights in Athens to see our relatives. The car was parked in front of the apartment, on a one-way street, in a lighted place, where the cars of the people in the area were also parked. When we woke up in the morning to take the car to the port, it was gone, there was another car in its place“.

The people speak Greek fluently, so they turned to the locals to understand what happened.

loss: ”We noticed a restaurant on the corner of the street and the people there helped us with the registrations, but we can’t say for sure that it was our car“.

The police found out that they were not the only ones damaged. Several cars and motorcycles, all with foreign license plates, were stolen from the area.

loss: ”They were understanding, they said it was possible to find her and that they sent the information to all border police headquarters. From what they have found, those who stole cars are using them to traffic immigrants“.

Stolen cars are dismantled for parts

Often, stolen cars are dismantled and the parts sold on the black market. There are also other Romanians on social media sites who have complained about car theft in Greece this month.

Two others were left without cars in Halkidiki. Here is what one of them wrote on a forum:

“Hi! I arrived in Greece on August 1st. I left Romania on July 31. We walked continuously to get to Greece and not stay overnight in Bulgaria…be a little scared by the stories of car thefts. We stayed in Thessaloniki… we have scheduled accommodation from 2 Aug in nea kalikratia, Halkidiki. We stayed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night, our car was stolen in front of the accommodation, right in front of our eyes. I would like to mention that on the night of Thursday, August 4 to 5, 3 Ford Kuga 2016 and 2014 cars were stolen. The keys are with us. It was quite an organization“.

Adrian Dragan, representative of Forum Greece: ”Car disappearances generally occur in the more notorious areas of Athens, Thessaloniki or even Halkidiki, where they are mainland areas of Greece, and thieves can more easily make off with the stolen car or goods. Tourists should try not to leave valuables visible when stopping the car in a place, as they can be a temptation for a potential thief“.

If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, ask your hosts to help you get in touch with the Greek authorities as soon as possible.