What should you do if your money or wallet is stolen?
Spain is a relatively safe country, with violent street crime quite a rarity, but you should always be careful of pickpockets, especially in busy, touristy areas. Keep your money in inside pockets wherever possible, or wear a money belt. Keep a hand on your camera or handbag at all times and be careful about hanging valuables over the back of chairs when in a bar or cafe. Read more about Staying Safe in Spain.
Most insurance policies require you to have some sort of crime number from the local police if they are going to pay out after a robbery. Your Embassy in Spain should be able to help, but it may be easier to go straight to the nearest police station. You should find a policemen who at least speaks rudimentary English.
But before you contact the police, your biggest priority should be to call your bank to cancel your cards. The 'chip-and-PIN' system is much more widely used than before but many places don't have it, which means that, in theory, anyone can access your money. The Spanish are pretty lax about checking the signature when someone buys goods, though in theory they should always ask for photo ID when accepting credit cards.
If you lose your travel documentation, you'll need to get them replaced.
Remember, the number you need to call will probably be on the back of your card, which you've just had stolen, so make a note of it beforehand. To avoid spending an unnecessary amount of time on hold to your bank (on an expensive international call), you may be able to get a relative back home to cancel your cards for you, but check first to see if your bank will do this (when I had my cards stolen - in the Madrid metro - my family were able to cancel my cards for me).
Some people like to take travelers checks with them when traveling, as a precaution in case their cash cards are stolen. But there is nothing to say your travelers checks won't be stolen too. Travelers checks are not so easy to cash in Spain so you may be better off hiding a second card in a different pocket or at your hotel.
