Urgent kidnapping warning for American tourists traveling to summer hotspot
The State Department issued the urgent warning after a spate of U.S citizens were kidnapped and held for ransom by people met through the online matchmaking services.
The victims, whose names have not been made public, were abducted in Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination in the western state of Jalisco, and Nuevo Nayarit, a coastal city in the western state Nayarit, just eight miles north from Puerto Vallarta.
'Victims and their family members in the United States have at times been extorted for large sums of money to secure their release,' the U.S. Consulate General Guadalajara said in a statement.
'Please be aware that this type of violence is not limited to one geographic area.'
American travelers are advised to meet their dates only in public places and to steer away from isolated areas, such as private homes or hotels, since those are places where crimes usually are carried out.
'Tell a friend or family member of your plans, including where you are going, details of the person you are meeting, and the app you used to meet them,' the security alert recommended.
'Trust your instincts. If something does not feel right, do not hesitate to remove yourself from a situation.'
Texas-based security consultant Robert Almonte told DailyMail.com that the dating app scam was part of the cartels' push to make more money.
'It doesn't surprise me that the Mexican cartels are involved in this latest scam, basically a ruse to get people to fall into their trap and then kidnap them and hold them for ransom,' he said.
'That doesn't surprise me at all. That's how the cartels operate. People need to understand that the Mexican cartels are not just about drugs, when they make money they involve activities other than drug trafficking, [they] involve human smuggling. But in this case here they are using dating apps to trap people.'
Almonte echoed the State Department's warning that that Americans traveling to Mexico should steer clear of going on dating apps.
'I urge them to be very, very cautious. As a matter of fact, there are plenty of ways to meet people out there in Mexico and I would not use dating apps,' he said.
The State Department advisory comes amid a move by the Department of Justice to extradite Aurora Phelps, 43, from Mexico to the US to face charges from a dating app scam, including kidnapping resulting in death.
The dual Mexican-American citizen allegedly lured much older men she met through online dating apps such as Bumble, Hinge and Tinder and stole their money from July 1, 2021, to December 9, 2022, according to an indictment that was unsealed February 21.
Phelps, who lived in Las Vegas but had a home in Guadalajara, was arrested by Mexican authorities in February.
In November 2022, allegedly Phelps kidnapped a man who was in search of love. She somehow managed to push him on a wheelchair through the Mexico-United States border as her daughter watched. The sedated victim was taken to Mexico City, where he was found dead in a hotel, according to the indictment.
In May 2022, she connected with another man in the western Mexican city of Guadalajara. The victim was reported missing and police found him dead in the bathroom of his residence.
Phelps allegedly waited several days until she tried to use the man's bank accounts to purchase gold coins and mail them to her own home.
It's not the first time the State Department has warned U.S. citizens about the dangers that come along with matching on an online dating app while vacationing outside the United States.
In January 2024, the U.S. Embassy Bogotá in Colombia issued a warning following the deaths of eight Americans in Medellín between November 1 and December 31, 2023.
Minnesota-based comic, Tou Ger Xiong, was murdered in Medellín on December 11 after he was kidnapped and robbed after going on a date with a woman he had previously met on Tinder.
On November 13, Texas resident Jeffrey Hutson, 55, was found dead in his hotel room with at least 20 stab wounds in his neck after he had returned to the suite with an 18-year-old woman he met on a dating app.
The woman was arrested November 27 and charged with aggravated homicide.
In a press release, U.S. Embassy Bogotá said that the 'deaths appear to involve either involuntary drugging overdose or are suspected homicides.'
While they were not related, the embassy found that 'several of the deaths point to possible drugging, robbery, and overdose, and several involve the use of online dating applications.'
It suggested American visitors 'should strongly consider meeting only in public places and avoiding isolated locations, such as residences or hotel rooms,' places were crimes could be executed.
The embassy advised Americans that if they chose 'to invite a person they met to a home or hotel, they speak to the 'attendant/concierge beforehand and establish a policy as to what information your new visitor should provide before being authorized entry (photo of identification, etc.) and what process should be followed when your visitor departs.'
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