Spanish police have warned British holidaymakers to be on their guard against a gang of vile thieves who spit on their victims - and then distract them by offering to clean up the mess.
Shocking footage released by police shows the bag snatchers at work, with one ruse involving two men working together to target a blonde woman and a young traveller.
Two of the recent incidents occurred on Barcelona’s metro system , which is used by thousands of tourists visiting the city and holiday resorts nearby.
In one unnerving clip, a man in a black baseball cap is seen spitting on a woman from behind as she buys a ticket, before she quickly turns around to see what had hit her.
But the criminal is poised ready to pull the 'Good Samaritan' act as soon as she turns around, and quickly starts cleaning the mess out of her hair.
His accomplice in a white baseball cap meanwhile makes sure she takes her eye off a rucksack she has left on the ground that she was previously holding.
Once his accomplice has snatched the holdall, he makes gestures to suggest his train is arriving and vanishes - leaving the female victim alone to realise she has been the target of a disgusting con artist.
In a second incident released by police, a young man carries a small suitcase and a laptop before being approached by the same man on a Barcelona tube station platform.
He spits into the back of his hoodie, and turns his back to the traveller before he can work out what has hit him.
Moments later, the victim takes his eye off his belongings to inspect it, and the accomplice returns to swipe his laptop.
In a message published along with the footage, spokesman for Catalonia's Mossos d’Esquadra police force said: “Watch out for distractions of any kind involving strangers on public transport, the street, or wherever.
“Keep your belongings under control at all times.”
It was not immediately clear if the gang in the video are acting in other parts of Spain.
Barcelona’s security has been under increased spotlight in recent years, and has become known a hotspot for professional watch thieves - with famous faces being among some of the victims.
Tennis star Grigor Dimitrov became a victim of a designer watch mugging in April when he had a £62,000 Swiss Bianchet timepiece ripped off his wrist in his car as he returned from training.
In June last year, Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel also had a backpack stolen in the city. He tried to chase down the thieves by hopping on an electric scooter when his bag was grabbed from his Aston Martin during a brief stop.
Last August, Barcelona footballer Robert Lewandowski also had his £59,000 watch stolen from him as he signed autographs before an evening training session at his club’s Ciutat Esportiva complex.
The striker sprinted after the culprit, who was eventually caught by police and the watch returned.
