Mexico: Incidents Involving Japanese Nationals – Card Fraud and Robbery

スポンサーリンク
スポンサーリンク
February 7, 2024

1. Incident Overview

  • Card Fraud Incident:
    • Date: Saturday, March 5
    • Time: Around 9:40 AM
    • Location: Supermarket ATM, Guadalajara, Jalisco
    • Details: After withdrawing cash from an ATM, a Japanese national was approached by two Mexican individuals who claimed they had forgotten to take the cash. When the victim checked the ATM, they found a 50 pesos note remaining. The assailants, speaking rapidly in Spanish, insisted that the victim operate the ATM again. The victim withdrew a small amount of cash a second time. A week later, the victim found that their card was not working and discovered at the bank that the card had been swapped and the account balance was zero. It is suspected that the perpetrators manipulated the ATM and cleverly swapped the card while obtaining the PIN.
  • Robbery Incident:
    • Date: Thursday, March 10
    • Time: Around 10:00 AM
    • Location: On the highway (Route 45) near Querétaro City, after passing through Celaya
    • Details: While traveling on the highway and stuck in traffic due to road construction, the victim’s vehicle was approached by two motorcycles. The assailants, wearing navy caps and bulletproof vests (appearing like security guards), pointed a handgun and demanded valuables. The victim complied and handed over their wallet. The robbers repeated their method with another vehicle before fleeing. No injuries were reported.

2. Precautions

  • (1) Be cautious of anyone approaching or speaking to you while using or immediately after using an ATM. Ensure you quickly retrieve your card and cash, or keep your attention focused on them.
  • (2) If you are not familiar with ATM operations, avoid using it alone. It is advisable to have a companion when using an ATM.
  • (3) In the event of a robbery, avoid sudden movements or resistance as it may escalate the situation. Perpetrators might be armed or have accomplices nearby, so exercise extreme caution.
  • (4) To minimize losses, carry cash and cards separately. Be aware that thieves may break windows to steal bags left in the front or rear seats, so keep bags out of sight, such as in the footwell of the passenger seat.

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