A telemarketing scam involving Mexican cartels targeting Americans, especially the elderly, through timeshare fraud has been uncovered.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has been operating a sophisticated scheme, with call centers convincing victims to pay fees for selling their timeshares, resulting in losses amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
“You have these people that are desperate,” head of Timeshare Users Group Brian Rogers said. “The victims are limitless.”
“It’s more cash in hand than they make from drugs,” he said. “The overhead is really low for this.”
The cartel’s tactics involve creating a sense of urgency and legitimacy, using English-speaking employees to deceive victims.
“What we’re seeing here is an increase in the number of complaints,” FBI Deputy Assistant Director James Barnacle said. ”That’s evidence that the fraud schemes are growing.”
Despite efforts to combat the fraud, few arrests have been made, and the cartel’s control over its operations remains strong, with severe consequences for those who try to leave.
“Mexican banks are not doing their job,” Mexican law attorney Spencer McMullen said.
Victims like Stephen and Filomeno have suffered significant financial losses, highlighting the devastating impact of these fraudulent schemes.
“You’re taking Mexican money out of the country so you have to pay some fees,” retired United Airlines employee Filomeno said.
“I couldn’t stop crying,” he said.
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