Real Estate Scam Uncovered in Quintana Roo!

The Agency for Strategic Projects (Agepro) in Quintana Roo, Mexico has discovered a criminal organization involved in a widespread real estate scam. The group has been fraudulently acquiring state-owned land by forging the signatures of former governors on property deeds.

According to José Alberto Alonso Ovando, the head of Agepro, the scam has negatively impacted many individuals who purchased land in municipalities such as Tulum, Puerto Morelos, and Bacalar. The most frequently forged signatures were those of former governors Miguel Borge and Félix González Canto.

Ovando explained that after forging the signatures, the fraudsters would then present themselves at the Public Property Registry to obtain the necessary cadastral certificates. Due to the complexity of forging modern titles, which are similar to banknotes with numerous holograms, the criminals resorted to using older titles from the tenure of Borge and González. These older titles, once signed by the governors, were then used to falsely claim ownership of the land.

So far, approximately six forged signatures have been detected in Tulum, one in Bacalar, another in Solidaridad, and at least three in Puerto Morelos. Ovando also noted that in Tulum, lawsuits related to these fraudulently acquired lands were resolved in favor of the state government. This was possible due to agreements reached with the legal purchasers of the properties.

During González Canto's administration, the Quintana Roo State Real Estate Heritage Institute (IPAE) sold 877 properties to individuals. Of these, 406 are located in Playa del Carmen and were transferred from state ownership to private property. Additionally, 176 properties were sold in Cozumel, 156 in Cancún, and 139 in Chetumal.