Los Cabos Authorities Warn Tourists Of This Growing Crime

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Last Updated 4 months ago

Los Cabos hotels are filling up for the rest of 2023. You may find yourself in a pickle by making a last-minute trip to take in the holiday season in paradise.

To make matters worse, Los Cabos authorities are warning tourists of a growing crime capable of completely ruining your vacation.

Traveling isn’t always easy, but it only becomes worse when you’re a victim of a scam. For those seeking pure bliss to escape the cold weather and worries back home should be aware of the potential problems booking your Los Cabos trip online right now.

BCS Cyber Police Issue Warning

The Baja California Sur (BCS) Cyber Police have taken notice of a growing trend online, which has affected some vacationers.

These scammers target travelers booking trips online. In this case, Los Cabos tourists are locked in the scope.

In particular, booking flights and hotels are the 2 main sources of this increasing cybercrime. In fact, it’s been an issue intermittently throughout 2023 with the Los Cabos Hotel Association confirming multiple cases earlier this year.

Those seeking the ultimate vacation in Baja should have their head on a swivel when booking their getaway online.

There are a variety of ways to safeguard yourself from being a victim so you can take the vacation you’ve been craving.

How Are Tourists Being Targeted?

Travelers should be aware that online booking should be a very simple, straightforward process. Any third party should be considered a red flag.

Search your flight, pick your flight, pay. The same goes for hotels. Simple enough, right? Not so fast…

Some travelers booking their Los Cabos vacations have been fooled by being directed to pay through third parties.

Rather than pay for your flight or hotel on the same website you searched, the Los Cabos Hotel Association reported WhatsApp users disguising themselves as hotels and asking for payments via the app.

Not only will you not have a hotel upon arrival, but you just made a scammer much richer! With sky-high rates right now, you may have wasted upwards of $1500 depending on where you thought you were booking and the duration of your stay.

“In Los Cabos some did get reported, I was specifically notified by two hotels that had this situation and even by WhatsApp, they hooked you with the page and the reservation, they finished it through WhatsApp and that’s where the fraud was committed.”

“…we also reinforce as much as possible through different channels, especially through the channels of each company, which is always to check and double check that the pages are official”

– Executive President of the Los Cabos Hotel Association, Lilzi Orcí Fregozo

These types of online scams are not just limited to Los Cabos flights and hotels. With endless fun excursions, tourists could be affected booking tours, golf courses or retreats.

Tips For Avoiding Los Cabos Cybercrimes

These cybercrimes have become a big enough issue that the Los Cabos Hotel Association initiated a new campaign to inform visitors of the risks of booking their trips online.

With some tourists showing up to check in to your hotel and discovering their reservation is nonexistent, it’s only right to try to fix this unfortunate problem before it becomes more of a problem.

As hotels may be sold out through the holidays, scammers know they may strike gold on your behalf.

Between the Los Cabos Hotel Association and the Cyber Unit of the Secretariat of Public Security of Baja California Sur, here are some valuable tips to avoid being scammed in Los Cabos this holiday season:

• Do not pay for reservations through any third-party websites or apps, such as WhatsApp
• Stick to recognized names for travel-related bookings
• Verify the authenticity of the website
• Do not make any advanced payments directly to bank accounts (even for private vacation rentals)

These scams are not just limited to Los Cabos. Other beach resort destinations in Mexico, such as Cancun and Acapulco, were also reported to be key culprits in online crimes.