The following was shared with me and in turn I am passing it along to others in the Kingdom and specifically Riyadh as FYI:
Encounter of a ‘Third Kind’
After leaving the garage at dusk last Sunday and threading my car through unconsidered traffic into the left lane of Al Ahsa Street, I successfully challenged the u-turn in front of the Pepsi-Plant to make my way home.
The idea was that after circling the Pepsi-plant, I was once again to test my driving skills by diagonally crossing traffic to reach another u-turn located under the Al Khurais highway.
A black sedan hitting my rear bumper, not really hard but enough to get my attention, did however change the flow of my travel plans. After a short inspection and a glance at the youthful driver, guessing the other two occupants were of similar age, I waved ‘malesh’ and got back on my way.
Just when I thought I could make a run for the second u-turn, I was hit again by the same car and into the same spot, my vehicles rear end.
Stupidity was one explanation for the second encounter but the real reasons behind this incident were far more sinister, a frightful scheme of which I soon became aware of.
When one of the passengers got out of their car, pretending to inspect the bumper on my car and the second occupant waving me over for a talk, the penny dropped. They were after my car.
I immediately locked my doors, pretended that nothing had happened and completely ignored any communication attempts made by the trio. As other cars arrived the ‘damage inspector’ rushed back to join his comrades, their car took off like a rocket with mentionable skills displayed by the driver.
My Advice:
Stay in your car, lock the doors and phone the police.
By: Pieter Giessen
Filed under: Economy, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, culture, safety, travel
Good advice, Carol.
Thanks for Mr. Giessen as well for sharing his experience.
Thank you Mr. Giessen, Carol this is a good advice to have in mind. I have heard that lately this has happend often to some people. I think our police should have more tasks than just blocking traffic for royalty to move around town. Seriously things are getting out of hand, they should show the same determination to fight those youth gangs as they had for the terrorist groups.
This is a very famous scam that many people have fallen for. A few years ago Tash ma Tash featured the scam in an episode about stolen cars and the maze people have to go through with the police when their cars get stolen.
theres also another scam involving autos happening around riyadh. there are people who will deliberately cause accidents (you can tell who they are since their cars are literally held together with duct tape) who threaten to call the police unless you pay them money.
Eh, I thought there was no crime in KSA?
A similar incident happend recently when my sister in law called for a limo from KFSH to take her to work. The limo driver was pulling into her compound when someone hit him from beind. The culprit and the limo driver got out to inspect the damage, and an accomplice hopped into the driver’s seat of the limo and sped off with his car…all of this right in front of the 5 guards with machine guns in front of the compound!
Also ladies, if you are in an accident with your husband or limo driver and you have to wait in the car, or even if you are just waiting for hubby while he’s in the store, please remove the keys from the ignition and lock the doors!!!! I’ve heard of people hopping in while there are still people in the car to be stolen.
Afake, this scam is not really crime related in a sense that those people mean to steal cars for profit. The scam started from the type of youth that does reckless drifting on the roads, they stole cars after getting rentals became impossible for them. Lately, because of unemployment and bleak future of Saudi youth, some have started seeing how much money this auto theft makes. Even to the level of stealing rims.
There isn’t a place that has no crime in the world, there is always a crime level and there is always elements influncing it. A decade ago you could basically leave your suitcase at the airport longue for days. However now, it’s a gamble to leave it unattended. I can say it got higher on the level of fraud/scamming, but there is little of violence related crimes like mugging for example. You can feel secure at any place you wish, but your never safe from harm.
I appreciate all the comments as well as the additional wise words of advice.
Dw I was being ironic.
I would never suppose that a country where you have five guards wit machineguns to secure your compound would actually be perfectely safe…
And how is stealing, for whatever purpose, not a crime?
My goodness, posts like this make me realize that things have changed in Riyadh since I lived there. Yes, you could leave your suitcase unattended at the airport, but I never tested that!
When I lived in the KFSH compound, only one guard stayed at the gate, looking bored, and certainly not armed with a machine gun!
Occasionally, we’d hear that a maid or a lone lady got kidnapped, taken to the desert, raped and murdered. We never knew whether those stories were true or urban legend.
I’m sorry to hear of such things as scams and car theft.
I have seen the armed guards at western compounds but I have not noticed armed guards at KFSH or other such facilities. They may be around but not “openly visible.”
Hmmm, I thought these things only happened in the West. Good thing to know about. Best way to prevent it…drive an old car! : )
Afake, sorry the irony just hopped right past me while my head was in the clouds there lol. It’s just many people have different expectations some are unattainable in any society. I should be more wary next time.
My point that it started as theft not because the culprits intended to steal for economic reasons, but they were instead carjacking vehicles they can use in their reckless hobby. It’s still in the end a theft, but my point that it had a different motivation than the regular economic reasons.
If for example the government had a program to sponsor professional drifting track events. You would see that the number of those car thefts would decrease highly in the Sedan level. While jeeps on other hand are usually stolen by organized crime that sells those four wheel cars in countries like Yemen.
DW, you can’t read intention on the internet, I could have added a smiley.
I do understand what you mean with the intention of the theft, but I was rather thinking of the victims of the theft, I’m sure the traumatic experience does not lessen because your car is going to get used and crashed during some insane drifting stunts or wether it’s going to be sold for profit.
And I totally agree, it’s hight time to built a motorsports centre, with drifting fun.
And you also answered a question that was floating in my mind… Where do these idiotd get all those cars they constantely crash???
Wow – thanks for the alert! The youth here definitely need more outlets to have some good clean fun!
That is very true Susie.
And how is stealing, for whatever purpose, not a crime?
When people condemn theft in theory, yet refuse to label the specific act a crime, or prosecute the known perpetrator as a criminal.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned accidents when a man or car full of men will deliberately hit a car with a woman or women inside, to force them to get out and talk to them. I have experienced this myself and heard of 3 other incidences in the last 3 years here.
There should be a special word for it other than crime, something in between pathetic, stupid and criminal.
I’ve not heard of that one Sprinkle. That is atrocious. Now do you think it is because of the segregation that it has made guys so desperate and ignorant in this case???
Absolutely, definitely, completely. As a former high school teacher it seems that many adult males are stuck in a mental time warp of teenage immaturity. Generally speaking of course and no offense intended to the many men who do not fall into this gross generalization.
Deprivation and depravity go hand in hand…
Absolutely, definitely, completely. As a former high school teacher it seems that many adult males are stuck in a mental time warp of teenage immaturity. Generally speaking of course and no offense intended to the many men who do not fall into this gross generalization.
Deprivation and depravity go hand in hand… I’m enjoying your blogs about segregation!
Thanks for sharing Sprinkle. Did you teach in KSA at all? And if so, would you share some of your experiences and views in that respect?