Both Spain and France have a very high unemployment rate, with the young making up it's base.
Car-jackings and "distraction" robberies have become such a problem that earlier this year the Foreign Office warned British drivers travelling abroad that they had become "easy targets" for the gangs.Gassed?
Thieves typically trick their victims by faking accidents, throwing stones at their windscreens to shock them into stopping, or pretending to need help.
Once the target vehicle has pulled over, the robbers either stage a hold-up or distract the occupants to get them out of the car while an accomplice steals valuables or even the car itself.
Hundreds of British tourists have been victims of such thefts, particularly in Spain but also in France.
British registration plates are an easy giveaway that the occupants are on holiday and likely to have cash and valuables with them in the car. Hire cars are also a regular target.
France has had other, equally sinister crime waves in recent years.
In 2007, the Foreign Office advised caravanners to install alarms after a string of tourists in France were gassed and robbed as they slept.
Britons were also warned to stay only
