A staggering number of cyber frauds involving vacation packages are committed each month in Quintana Roo, leaving tourists vulnerable to scams and costing them thousands of pesos.
According to Eduardo Paniagua Morales, advisor to the Mexican Association of Travel Agencies (AMAV), more than 17,500 cyber frauds are reported in the state every month. The lack of a robust legal framework to punish those responsible for these crimes is a major concern.
“The current Penal and Civil Codes do not adequately address cybercrimes,” Paniagua explained. “It is essential that they be amended to include terms like pharming and phishing.” Without an adequate legal framework, it is difficult to catch those responsible for these scams.
The amounts stolen in these scams can range from 17,000 pesos to 300,000 pesos, depending on the type of vacation package purchased. Paniagua emphasized the importance of tourists purchasing from trusted travel agents and recommended that they verify the legitimacy of agencies before making any payments.
Paniagua, who is also interim president of AMAV Quintana Roo, addressed the need to prevent vacation package fraud, which has grown alarmingly in the state. He noted that the current system for reporting cyber fraud is complicated and time-consuming, often ruining a tourist’s vacation.
A defrauded person must first go to the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco) and then to the State Attorney General’s Office before their complaint can be ratified and followed up on. Paniagua suggested that legislators amend the law so that the Cyber Police have legal tools to immediately notify the National Banking Commission and close bank accounts receiving transfers, as well as alert the Ministry of Finance to possible evasion.
“The laws are still not up to par with what artificial intelligence and global cyber technology represent today,” Paniagua explained. “The laws of the vast majority of states, and even at the federal level, do not refer to cyber fraud, but rather to digital platforms.”
Since 2013, cyber fraud in the tourism sector has increased exponentially, from about 25 cases per month to over 25,000 monthly frauds in tourist destinations such as Cancún and the Riviera Maya.
Source: Por Esto
