Quintana Roo Faces Surge in Prison-Led Phone Extortion Scams

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Insecurity in Quintana Roo has deepened steadily, and the wave of phone extortion hitting the population shows that police efforts remain insufficient against a crime that is constantly expanding.

In Othón P. Blanco, more than 300 recent calls have been recorded from penitentiary centers, many of them with threats of express kidnapping and demands for immediate payments. Authorities acknowledge that a large portion of victims do not report the incidents, allowing inmates and recent arrivals from other states to replicate criminal practices without the implemented operations managing to curb the activity.

Despite reviews and legal tightening, controls within prisons continue to be insufficient, leaving citizens at potential risk.

For its part, the Catholic Church in the southern part of the state has also been affected. A secretary received a call from an individual who falsely presented himself as “Father Juan Carlos,” allegedly from the Diocese of Cancún, and demanded 98,000 pesos to release two supposed packages linked to sacramental procedures.

The institution reiterated that no procedures are requested by phone and warned about the misuse of public information by scammers, showing that not even religious institutions are exempt from crime.

Even small businesses have been targets of these extortions. On Saturday morning, a barber in the Centenario neighborhood received threats from a caller demanding 10,000 pesos under the promise of physical reprisals.

Although he reported the attempt to the Quintana Roo Police and received preventive guidance, the incident reflects that official protection is more reactive than preventive and that citizens remain unprotected against the growth of crime.

Between prisons, religious institutions, and local businesses, phone extortion in Quintana Roo makes it evident that security efforts are not enough, while the population remains exposed to a constant risk that threatens the tranquility and well-being of all citizens.