Quintana Roo Vacation Clubs Hit by Cyberattacks Compromising Customer Databases

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The Association of Vacation Clubs of Quintana Roo (Acluvaq) has acknowledged facing serious cyberattacks resulting in stolen customer databases used for fraudulent timeshare sales, forcing the group to maintain constant coordination with state cyber police to address the situation and protect clients.

Miriam Cortés Franco, director of Acluvaq, explained that hackers are stealing sensitive databases and using the information to impersonate sales offices for commercial purposes.

“They call our clients to say, ‘Hey, you need to pay this or that,’ or to ask if they’re interested in selling their memberships, which requires ongoing coordination with authorities,” she said.

This has led to permanent communication with the Quintana Roo Cyber Police, helping to keep fraud in check, though Cortés Franco admitted it’s a daily effort.

“We’ve been saying this is happening for eight years, and it’s good that the police are stepping up because they’re stealing our clients, and we’ve reported it from day one,” she insisted.

The sector most affected by this type of fraud is the elderly, “and no matter how much we shield ourselves, it slips through somewhere; it has unfortunately kept happening,” she recognized.

“Another thing they do is spread advertising in our name, but I must acknowledge that Secretary Bernardo Cueto has helped us a lot, the prosecutor, Governor Mara Lezama herself, they’ve been helping us; we’ve received a lot of help from authorities,” she said.

She specifically mentioned the C5 and cyber police officers who remain attentive to reports generated by Acluvaq.

When questioned about recent sanctions imposed by the U.S. government against the timeshare company Kovay Gardens in Mexico for fraud, she dismissed any links to the Mexican Caribbean, thanks to constant reporting of any operations to authorities.

Background

Since 2018, Acluvaq has operated a Fraud Observatory to provide recommendations and prevent more cases.