Thu | Jul 2, 2026

Migrants in Mexico fall victim to rampant scams on their way to US

Published:Thursday | June 29, 2023 | 2:15 PM
Migrants line up between a barbed-wire barrier and the border fence at the US-Mexico border, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, May 9, 2023. Unwittingly, migrants in Latin America finance disinformation during their journeys to the US, as they fall victim to fraud that can cost them thousands of dollars and that in turn has served to develop new business models, from fake work recruiters to those who call themselves "migration coaches." (AP Photo/Christian Chavez, File)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Latin American migrants making their often-arduous journey to the United States frequently fall victim to scams that can amount to thousands of dollars in losses paid to fraudulent businesses that spread disinformation and prey on the vulnerable.

The scammers range from human traffickers — often referred to as coyotes — to social media influencers, and many of them fraudulently pose as work recruiters, legal advisers, or immigration coaches.

Most of the impostors take advantage of the many twists and turns in US immigration policy, tricking migrants into paying for fake legal advice, work visas, political asylum or alternative ways to cross the US-Mexico border.

About a quarter of migrants surveyed earlier this month said they received messages offering immigration services and jobs, mainly via Facebook and WhatsApp.

Two-thirds of the 210 surveyed said they fell victim to some sort of fraud or disinformation.

One migrant said he spent $1,500 on a form that turned out to be fake.

In Mexico, 5,684 complaints of crimes against migrants were reported from 2016 to November 2022, according to Mexico's interior ministry. Of these, 1,849 were classified as illicit trafficking, 2,655 as theft and only eight as fraud.

Migrants can lose anywhere from $1 to $20,000 per person overall in the scams, according to social media posts monitored during May and June and testimonies collected from migrants in early June.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.