An investigation by the American newspaper The New York Times warns that the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the bloodiest criminal groups in Mexico that has grown exponentially during the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is committing fraud with timeshares.
The CJNG, like other drug cartels in Mexico that operate with impunity, diversified their criminal activities, since they began with drug trafficking; but then he moved into the avocado extortion business, real estate, and construction companies, and is now transitioning to seniors and their vacation properties.
The timeshare fraud represents the most recent evolution of the CJNG, which also uses the name of Banxico, the central bank of Mexico, an institution that knows that scams are being committed in its name, the report maintains.
The operation is relatively simple, it is explained in the report. With little more than a phone and a convincing script, cartel workers are attacking people in different countries.
People working for the criminal group pose as sales representatives and call timeshare property owners offering to buy back their investments for generous sums of money.
They then demand advance payments under any excuse, from running ads to paying government fines.
After that step comes the final act: the fake sales agents persuade their victims to transfer large amounts of money to Mexico, sometimes up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then disappear.
Under this scheme, CJNG managed to raise hundreds of millions of dollars over the past decade through dozens of call centers in Mexico that target timeshare owners from the United States or Canada, according to unauthorized U.S. officials. to speak publicly.
The eight Mexicans found dead last year worked at a call center in downtown Guadalajara. The place was run by the CJNG according to U.S. officials.
Prosecutors said that when they searched the place, they found a mop with blood stains, whiteboards with foreign names, and details of timeshare property memberships.
Héctor Flores, founder of Colectivo Luz de Esperanza, an organization to search for missing people in Mexico in Jalisco, told The New York Times that he knew of about 30 people who disappeared from call centers since 2017, but there are more because many families do not report because of fear.
The timeshare vacation ownership industry is booming, with $10.5 billion in sales in 2022, a 30% increase compared to the previous year, according to the American Resort Developers Association.
However, this growth in the sector coincides with a 79% increase in the last four years in reports of timeshare fraud received by the FBI. But to investigate scams originating in Mexico, the FBI must have the cooperation of local authorities. Additionally, law firms cannot file civil lawsuits because they do not have jurisdiction in Mexico. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which was founded about 15 years ago, has grown to be one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico, but during AMLO’s six-year term, it has expanded into legal sectors of the economy, such as the sale of avocados to the United States.
TYT Newsroom
