Travellers’ insurance, it’s popular with European tourists and
also widely abused. This is how the scam works, the tourist buys insurance,
goes on vacation, preferably to the third world, makes a false report that their
things were stolen and then uses that report to collect when they get back home.
That’s what an Austrian man tried on Monday – but Belize police
were up on the scam and the Viennese villains got more than they bargained for.
24 year old Andreas Erker told police that he was travelling on the bus from
Punta Gorda to Belize City on Sunday when his knapsack with a cell phone and
his digital camera were stolen. Just to make sure, police went to his room at
North Front Street Guest House in Belize City and, sure enough, they found the
gadgets that had supposedly been stolen. And more than that, they came up with
some marijuana stowed away in the room.
So Erker was arrested, and so was his 24 year old travelling mate, Bernhard
Schwaberger for possession of controlled drugs. Erker was additionally charged
for a mischievous act. They were arraigned today and they pleaded guilty to
all charges. On the possession both were fined three hundred dollars each, and
Erker was fined one hundred dollars for the mischievous act. Austrian Consul
in Belize Billy Musa paid their fine and they were free to go.
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