Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

marcas

English translation:

(organised) muggers

Added to glossary by Claudia Luque Bedregal
Dec 22, 2011 18:36
12 yrs ago
2 viewers *
Spanish term

marcas

Spanish to English Other Slang recomendaciones de seguridad
Contexto: recomendaciones de seguridad

Efectúe sus operaciones en diversas agencias bancarias o diferentes cajeros automáticos y en diferentes horarios, evitando la rutina y ser objeto de seguimiento por parte de delincuentes comunes conocidos como "marcas".

Muchas gracias por sus sugerencias.

Discussion

Claudia Luque Bedregal (asker) Dec 22, 2011:
Definición de "marca" Se denomina "marca" a las bandas criminales organizadas
que escogen como víctimas a gente que retira sus ahorros o hace alguna
gestión financiera. Estas bandas infiltran a gente dentro de las entidades bancarias los cuales están observando minuciosamente a las personas que retiran su dinero, informándose obviamente de la cantidad, para que luego que esta persona salga del recinto bancario y abordar un taxi o un bus, correr tras de la víctima con toda su banda para luego cometer el atraco, cueste lo que cueste, no importándole la vida de la persona o de los pasajeros que viajan.

Proposed translations

+1
36 mins
Selected

(organised) muggers

From what I have read this term refers specifically to armed thieves who steal from people who have just taken money out of the bank. The normal word for those who steal like this (in America as well as the UK, I believe) is "mugger". I don't know of a specific term for those who do it in banks, but such people are commonly referred to as muggers.

"Son 30 las bandas de delincuentes en Lima que asaltan como ‘marcas’
Puede ser una pareja de enamorados, una mujer con su hijo o un tipo elegante que aparenta realizar una transacción o pagar algún servicio en un banco. Las bandas de ‘marcas’ suelen mimetizarse de estas formas para acechar a los clientes que retiran sumas fuertes de las ventanillas.
La víctima, tras dejar el banco, es seguida sigilosamente en un taxi o en un auto particular. En el camino, aquellos sujetos se contactan por celular con sus cómplices para indicarles el recorrido para luego desaparecer de la escena.
Seguidamente entran en acción los delincuentes quienes, pistola en mano, emboscan a la víctima en cualquier calle para despojarla de su dinero."
http://elcomercio.pe/lima/900304/noticia-son-30-bandas-delin...

Muggers often work in gangs. In order to highlight this feature of "marcas" and distinguish them from individual opportunist armed thieves in the street, perhaps we could say "organised muggers". The prior surveillance and the use of disguise or assumed identities are fairly common practice among mugger gangs.


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Note added at 3 hrs (2011-12-22 21:45:31 GMT)
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The term "spotter" certainly corresponds to part of the modus operandi of "marcas". A spotter is either a lookout, whose job is to watch for the police and warn the other criminals if they approach, or someone who identifies potential victims, but the spotter himself (or herself) does not actually commit the robbery.

"spotter
A criminal-accomplice whose job is to watch out for incoming policemen while his friends commit a crime (usually drug dealing, burglaries, safeguarding supply houses, etc). Spotters are basically human alarm systems that criminals use to warn them when the cops come near. They usually stand on a corner to get a better vantage point and to give their friends plenty of time to run away, flush the drugs, etc. The warning is usually a shouted code, but can sometimes also be visual; modern criminals now use cell phones. Often times, spotters are juveniles who can't be effectively punished by law for aiding in a felony."
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=spotter

"Victims said the robbers are a white and a black man, and that they are working with a third man, a "spotter" who helps them zero in on victims.
Once the spotter sees a likely victim, usually someone walking alone, the robbers swoop in."
http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2011/09/armed_mug...
Note from asker:
Me parece que has dado en el blanco con "organised muggers" ;-) ¡Gracias Charles!
Peer comment(s):

agree Helena Chavarria : I've just found that the terms "prowlers" and "targeting burglars/thieves" are also used.
20 hrs
Thanks, Helena, and Happy Christmas :)
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you!!"
+2
24 mins

spotters

I'm actually not sure whether this is the right term,
but I'm pretty confident this is one that you could use.
Note from asker:
Gracias Giovanni.
Me parece que un "spotter" es el que observa e informa a los otros miembros de la banda de la posible víctima. Voy a seguir investigando. Gracias por la sugerencia. Saludos.
Peer comment(s):

agree Lisa McCarthy : Good option, I reckon
14 mins
agree Rosa Paredes
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
44 mins

gang members / a mark (single individual)

see web references
Note from asker:
Gracias por la sugerencia Marcelo, pero la traducción de "marca" por "mark" en este contexto no me parece adecuada.
Peer comment(s):

neutral Charles Davis : "Mark", in both these references, is a machine translation of "marca".
2 hrs
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