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 Editorials | At Issue | June 2006 
A New Extortion Scheme Along the U.S.-Mexican Border
 stratfor.com
| | Instead of relying on shock and irrational reactions from the "victims'" families, criminals rely on surveillance and gathering enough personal information to present a credible threat to the target. |
A construction company owner operating in Matamoros, Mexico, became a target of an extortion scheme that involves paying off criminal gangs in order not to be kidnapped. The Brownsville Herald reported June 12 that a gang of kidnappers called the construction company owner in May and threatened abduction unless a payment of several thousand dollars was made. The kidnappers said they knew the business owner's address in Brownsville and had pictures of him and his family. The Matamoros businessman said friends and acquaintances had fallen victim to the same scheme.
This tactic is similar to virtual kidnapping scams, except instead of relying on shock and irrational reactions from the "victims'" families, criminals rely on surveillance and gathering enough personal information to present a credible threat to the target. As in many virtual kidnappings, the perpetrators may not ever intend to physically kidnap anyone, but instead bluff the victims into paying.
Extortion schemes like this are not new to the criminal world; however, this scheme's proliferation along the U.S.-Mexican border (often having to do with the state of the Mexican economy) is a relatively new development. These extortion gangs present just one dimension of the insecurity in the area.
This type of extortion likely has been spreading for some time, but few reports have been issued. To date, there have been no reports of actual kidnappings resulting from these criminal enterprises. This does not mean kidnappings and extortion have not occurred - only that those being threatened have been paying, or that the families of those abducted have been reluctant to notify U.S. authorities.
On the U.S. side of the border, this type of blackmail likely began with people of Mexican descent - either first-generation Americans or illegal immigrants - as targets. Many recent immigrants bring an inherent distrust of law enforcement with them. Those operating businesses that have a certain amount of less-than-legitimate activity going on would also be unlikely to turn to U.S. law enforcement when threatened. These factors make recent immigrants and first-generation Americans extremely vulnerable to exploitation.
If these extortion gangs create a stronger presence on the U.S. side of the border, they probably will target the owners of small, nonreputable businesses. Owners of such businesses are less likely to bring in the authorities for fear of unwanted prying into their business practices. However, if the gangs become more ambitious - which is likely - more mainstream businesses could fall victim to these extortion schemes. Public reaction and alarm would necessitate a more comprehensive response from the U.S. government. |
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