Extortion Warning for Americans Living in Mexico, by Steven Aguirre, PI
With remaining unstable economies in both the U.S. and Mexico, particularly now approaching the holiday season, scam artists are up and on the prowl for new victims all around the country. The increased ease of accessibility to personal information online and public records has considerably made extortion plots rather complex and harder to spot by new unsuspected victims.
Regardless of nationality, most of us who now call Mexico home, share something in common. We all have at some level or another family, friends or acquaintances who reside in the U.S. or overseas. This similarity is the very basis for the latest scam successfully used on dozens of people around Mexico to date. This article will give you an inside look at how it works, and how to prevent it from happening to you.
The scam lays-out as follows. You receive a call from a friend, relative or former classmate, co-worker etc, usually someone you have not spoken to in quite some time. He or she will identify themselves with their full name, ( even maiden names ), time or place you may have met or lived, mentioning they are the son or daughter of such and such to refresh your memory, and may even tell you specific details about family, friends, locations and more. Unlike amateur scammers, these are well researched individuals who will be telling you legitimate information about yourself or their connection to you, so much so that you are most likely to say.. oh! yes.. McFly how you`ve been?, which in essence will confirm the first step. A few days later the perpetrator “McFly”, will call you back explaining that he would like to visit Mexico and perhaps take a look at the real estate market he has heard so much about in ( eg. Cancun, Cabo San Lucas etc ). McFly informs you of the day he plans to travel and promises to keep you updated during the flight. He utilizes every phone conversation with you to build rapport and prepare you for what is to come.
On the day of travel McFly calls you to let you know he is at Mexico City`s Airport waiting for his transfer flight to Cancun. An hour goes by, and you receive a call from an individual identifying himself as a Aduanas Officer ( Mexican Customs ), he asks if you are the relative and/or friend of McFly, you naturally answer yes, and the officer goes on to ask you how you know him (like any other law enforcement officer would), then the officer proceeds to explain that through the routine security checks McFly was found to have much more money than he originally declared, in addition they found several bank checks for 10 thousand dollars each hidden on his laptop case, jackets etc. The officer puts McFly on the phone to speak with you, he apologizes and tells you that rather than carrying cash he`s bringing the checks to make a down payment if he were to find a property he may be interested, as he previously mentioned to you. At this time, you are annoyed and even a bit skeptic for the bad news, however part of you wants to believe that it is true because McFly already established who he was and what his intentions to visit Mexico were.
The Aduana Officer takes over the phone and proceeds to explain to you that McFly is subject to arrest and even possible conviction under money laundering laws, he also explains that Mcfly has the option to pay a fine based on the amount of the undeclared money and be released immediately, yet the officer continues to explain the procedure and perhaps even mentioning the codes and jail times that may apply, essentially playing a psychological game to mentally prepare you for the most important part of the scam. After a few tense minutes of conversation, during several phone calls and “exaggerations” of what may happened with McFly, the officer will seek your collaboration to help your relative/friend cover the fine. It is likely that during one of these phone calls McFly himself clearly distraught may speak with you and ask for your help, promising to pay you back as soon as he arrives to town and cashes one of his checks. At this point the officer will provide you with a bank account number and the amount needed to be deposited without delay, if McFly is to be released that same day.
If you went ahead and deposited the money, the con is completed… but not entirely finished. Whether you call the officer back to inform him that the money has been deposited or he may call you to check on the status of the deposit, there will usually be new developments. Most commonly the officer will now inform you that more hidden cash or checks were found in McFly`s luggage, therefore the fine has increased, which means an additional deposit may be needed. And so, they will try to get more money from you, exploiting your moment of good will, confusion and solidarity. After all, as far as you know everything else checked out, numbers on the caller ID, personal details and so on.
How to Avoid Becoming a Victim
1. Always keep a personal level of privacy. On personal, business or networking sites, there`s no need to specify your full name, date of birth, home phone etc, even if you only approve friends you know. – When disposing of mail, be sure to shred your bills, bank statements or any other mailings containing personal information; this simple procedure it’s still highly neglected.
2. No matter whom they claim to be. Don`t ever volunteer personal information over the phone, unless you have a way to confirm who`s the person on the other end. – Banks, stores or creditors don`t ask for PINs or passwords, unless you are the one calling them to request a transaction.
3. Your e-mail inbox is a window to your life. Consider changing your password to something more secure, ideally to contain letters & numbers. – Unfortunately, with a little technical knowledge every email service can be illegally hacked, (yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, Aol etc).
4. Play detective. When faced with a situation similar to the above, ask a lot of questions, even make up a fictitious relative`s name to test the perpetrator. A real relative may say.. Who are you talking about?, while the perpetrator may play along and tell you what he thinks you want to hear. – If you simply feel uncomfortable, just hang up the phone.
5. Do a background on yourself. Run your own name on several online search engines to see what information is out there about you and how easy it is to find or access. Even if only bits and pieces of information are found on numerous sites around the web, all put together may complete a decent profile about you.
Last but not least, if you become or have been a victim of similar scams, always report it to your local police station or Ministerio Publico, even if you think they may not do much. In certain occasions having an official police report may help you recover money from the banks.
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Steven Aguirre is a former New York City Private Investigator, currently serving as the managing director of Mexico Intelligence Services, a full service private investigative firm specializing in Mexico nationwide. He may be contacted at e-mail. MexicoIntell@gmail.com – web. http://www.MexicoIntell.com
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