Criminals Using Internet to Extort Victims in Mexico Latin American Herald Tribune
go to original October 13, 2013

MEXICO CITY – An increasing number of criminals are capitalizing on the sense of fear and insecurity that exists in Mexico to extort their victims, using the Internet as a tool to achieve their ends.

“People who know how to use information are gathering it and using the telephone to threaten, extort or commit some type of illegal action against that person,” said Pablo Monsalvo, a public safety expert.

One recent victim of Web-based extortion was the Spanish band Delorean, whose members were “virtually” kidnapped in Mexico by criminals who threatened to kill them if their family members in Spain did not come up with an undisclosed amount of money.

“They use the different Web pages to locate (a victim’s) data, photograph, age, address, family members ... or (obtain) credit card, mortgage, bank information from companies with archives of personal data,” which are “often stolen or sold,” Monsalvo said.

These crimes are very difficult to quantify because they are often not reported, he added.

Read the rest at Latin American Herald Tribune

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