Crystalwaters,
Before turning this thread into a battle, please note that Bnewb did not say this unfortunate event (as she described it) did not occur, but only that the situation could sound suspect. She was adding to your comment that the two men may have been naive for carrying the majority of the vacation money with them, as well as their their passports at night on the beach. And now that you state that you had already warned them about the aggressive man on the beach, it would seem that there maybe something more than naivety playing a role. You had already warned them, yet they still made a decision to carry most of their vacation money and passports with them at night.
Bnewb pointed out that since common sense would dictate not to carry the majority of your vacation cash on you at night as well as your passports (there are room safes in the hotel, correct?), when something like this occurs, then it can be suspect.
From my experience, including bringing hundreds of people here each week for Spring Break for several years in the early 90's, to the nearly 20 years living in Jamaica, there are many reason why people choose to make false claims. It can range from planning to scam a hotel before arrival to indulging a bit too much and simply losing the items and feeling stupid about it to wrecking a scooter and claiming it "stolen" to being involved in some nefarious deal that turns bad and one loses their money. These situations do unfortunately occur and not everyone is honest with their explanations, even to the police.
The best lesson that can come from this unfortunate situation is that there is never any possible logical reason to be carrying the majority of your vacation cash on your person, expect for when you arriving directly from the airport. At that point, lock up your money and passsports and other important documents in your room safe when you arrive at your room. Only take what you are willing to spend when you head out at anytime. And there is no need to be carrying your passport at night - no one is going to ask to see your passport. If you are planning on using a credit/debit card, any picture ID will suffice for confirmation identification.
As for the tourism numbers being down causing the situation, while June and September did seem slower this year than usual, October and especially November have picked up to the point where things seem busier now than usual. The situation may actually have more to do with the decrease in remittances than due to any perceived hostility towards visitors. And as with what will happen to the rude guy you mentioned on the beach, the locals and the police in the area will deal with the thugs as they always do once they do something wrong. Even Robert & Maureen at their new place Sunnyside as mentioned in Clarity's trip report have an investment in their business right next to Rooms, and they do not want to lose that investment based upon a few bad apples.
