Belizean Students Targeted in Virtual Extortion Scam During Chetumal Visit

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Three Belizean students, two women and a man aged 18 to 25, became victims of a virtual extortion scheme while visiting Chetumal to attend a graduation party, sparking warnings on social media for Belizeans to avoid the city due to insecurity.

The students’ parents endured hours of distress after reports circulated on Belizean social media that the young people had been kidnapped by an armed group on Monday evening. One of the students contacted her father, saying armed captors were holding them and demanding 350,000 pesos for their release.

However, the Quintana Roo State Prosecutor’s Office stated on Tuesday that the incident was a case of virtual extortion originating from a phone call traced to a prison in Tamaulipas. While one victim reported being held by an armed group demanding a large ransom, state officials said the students “received calls ordering them to go to certain locations after leaving a family member’s graduation ceremony.”

According to investigative agents, “the extortionists had cloned the WhatsApp account of one of the young women, communicating from another phone to make her believe the students were with them, which never happened. They also sent photos of the students, who were forced under threat to take the pictures.”

Agents advised the father to cut off communication with the extortionists and not make any bank deposits. They then launched a search operation and located the students.

The victims stated they were at their residence when the male student received a call from someone claiming to be part of a violent criminal group, warning that if the money wasn’t deposited, they would shoot up the house.

Preliminary investigations indicate the phone calls came from the Altamira Social Reintegration Center in Tamaulipas.

The incident prompted calls among Belizean nationals on social media to avoid visiting Chetumal due to insecurity levels and the presence of criminal groups controlling the area. Some Belizean citizens expressed dissatisfaction with attempts by government authorities and certain media to downplay crime rates and normalize criminal activity in the state capital.