John Landecker is joined by Steve Bansbach, a public affairs representative with US Customs and Border Protection, to discuss Scams and identity theft.
Steve describes the scams that con artists are contacting about in an effort to obtain peoples’ money.
The Scam in Mexico
While traveling can give you breathtaking experiences everywhere you go, it can also occasionally lead to deeply uncomfortable encounters.
Recently, a Reddit user recounted her attempt to cross the border between Mexico and Belize and how border guards attempted to coerce her and her pals into paying a tax they weren’t required to.
As a seasoned traveler, OP was aware that this was untrue and has forewarned potential travelers of the strategies border control may use to trick them into falling for the scam.
For instance, she claimed that the police threatened to not stamp their passports unless they paid the fictitious charge and pretended they couldn’t speak English.
The fact that OP and her pals only possessed digital versions of their tax receipts rather than tangible copies was another issue border control informed OP and her friends they couldn’t accept.
Once more, OP knew this was a falsehood but maintained her position.
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The tax scams in Mexican people
When they arrived at the Belize border, OP spoke with another traveler who had experienced a comparable situation with Mexican border agents.
He originally gave the money, but as soon as he realized it might be a hoax, he started recording the border agents.
They restored his money and stamped his passport once they realized he was making a tape.
The OP and her friends had no problems with the border guards in Belize, and a few days later they learned from a local taxi driver that the Mexican guards had persuaded Belizean bus and taxi drivers to participate in the tax scam in exchange for a share of the proceeds.
The bottom line is to be informed and to maintain your position.
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