FBI Reveals Mexican Drug Cartels Targeting Louisiana Vacationers

The seashores of old Mexico were romanticized in song by George Strait and for decades tens of thousands of Louisiana residents have made the journey across the Gulf of Mexico for a visit to Cancun, Cozumel, or even destinations on Mexico's Pacific side. It was a kinder gentler trip to make a decade or two ago but quite frankly Mexico has gotten very dangerous for American tourists and that includes vacationers from Louisiana as well.

You're probably familiar with travel warnings issued by the United States Department of State urging extra caution for U.S. travelers who book trips to destinations in Mexico. For the most part, if you stay on or in your resort, you'll be fine. But what about those who have invested in a condo or timeshare? Those individuals are fast becoming victims of a different kind of crime.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning over timeshare fraud that has been linked to the Mexican drug cartels. These ruthless organizations will stop at nothing to ensure that the flow of drugs and the flow of money into and out of the United States will not be interrupted by anything as "silly as laws".

But Federal Agents have been able to slow down the Cartels by hitting them where they hurt the most, the bank account. New money laundering laws make it difficult for the Cartels to turn their ill-gotten gains into spendable funds. That's where the condo scam figures into the process. 

A timeshare owner gets a call from someone claiming to be a timeshare broker. They draft very convincing fake documents that are sent to the unsuspected victim. The victim is encouraged to "sell their timeshare", which a lot of timeshare owners are willing to do. The fraudster then convinces the victim that in order to expedite the "sale" or "transfer" of the condo they'll need to pay taxes and fees upfront.

Okay, that's the first part of the scam. The second part of the scam happens when another fraudster calls the victim claiming to be part of a legal team that is attempting to track down the scammers.  But in order to do that, the victim will need to pay legal fees upfront.

The third leg of the scam occurs when the victim gets another call from someone claiming to be a government official who is part of a scam task force that wants to help the victim get their money from the first two scammers back. Of course, there is a fee for that. Many victims have fallen for that part of the scam too.

The scammers use heavy-handed tactics to pressure unsuspecting and usually elderly timeshare owners to make poor choices. They threaten subpoenas, jail time, fines, and arrests if you don't play or should we say "pay" along.

If you are a timeshare owner and have a timeshare in Mexico you are a likely target for this scam. If you get a call inquiring about your condo just hang up. You can call a legitimate broker if you're really interested in selling, otherwise, you'll just be funding the flow of illegal drugs into our country, so be smart.