Chapala area householders, including at least one expat, have been recent targets of scam artists out to make a quick and easy buck by placing threatening phone calls.
Common ploys used to extort pay-offs include hysterical calls from purported relatives who claim to have been kidnapped, involved in an highway accident or slapped with steep fines by customs officials and need money to get out of the pickle.
A similar ruse is for the caller to identify himself as a henchman for the Zetas or some other organized crime syndicate, requesting protection money to back off on a planned kidnapping or hit against you or a loved one. Another gimmick is to tempt the call recipient into making a deposit in order to collect some kind of attractive raffle prize.
Telephone extortionists are known to employ psychological tactics to confuse and frighten their victims and elicit personal information to further their schemes. For the most part their well-practiced dialogues are part spoken in Spanish, usually peppered with harsh or desperate language.
Mexican law enforcement authorities report that practically all calls suggesting danger of personal harm are simply empty threats. They recommend hanging up immediately and taking the phone off the hook if the caller persists. It is best not to engage in prolonged conversation and fall into traps to reveal names, addresses or phone numbers for yourself or family members.
Better yet, avoid answering to unknown messengers by checking the source of the incoming call with the phone’s caller ID device. Don’t pick up if número privado (private number) or no disponible (not available) appears on the screen, or it shows a three-digit area code for Tamaulipis (usually 883) or Vera Cruz (922) where extortion calls often originate.