A CON ARTIST'S lack of knowledge of Spain's geography blew his cover at Atocha station and saved a group of tourists from parting with unnecessary cash.
According to a local man from Madrid, he overheard a stranger asking some holidaymakers for money for his AVE train ticket because he needed to get home and had lost his wallet.
The trickster said he was from Valladolid (Castilla y León).
But when the witness asked him the name of the river which runs through Valladolid, the stranger slipped up and said it was the Ebro.
The river running through Valladolid is the Pisuerga, and the Ebro in fact crosses Zaragoza (Aragón).
Also, the AVE from Madrid to Valladolid does not leave from Atocha station, but from that of Chamartín.
The witness wrote of his experience in a Twitter post under the username @Gauginaepicuro, adding: "And that, kids, is why you should pay attention to Geography at school."
If any rail passenger genuinely loses his or her wallet or purse, they should report it straight to the police on site if it is a central station or to the nearest one if it is a smaller, regional terminal.
Sometimes, presenting a copy of the police report may enable the victim to get a train pass which he or she can pay for later, although this is not always the case.
An unused booking is normally replaced with a later ticket if the passenger misses the train and reports it within the hour, depending upon the type of line or service in question.
