Migrants in Mexico fall victim to rampant scams on their way to the US
Migrants watch a train go past as they wait along the train tracks hoping to board a freight train heading north, one that stops long enough so they can hop on, in Huehuetoca, Mexico, May 12, 2023, the day after U.S. pandemic-related asylum restrictions called Title 42 were lifted. Unwittingly, migrants in Latin America finance disinformation during their journeys to the U.S., as they fall victim to fraud that can cost them thousands of dollars and that in turn has served to develop new business models, from fake work recruiters to those who call themselves "migration coaches." Credit: AP/Marco Ugarte
MEXICO CITY — Latin American migrants making their often-arduous journey to the United States frequently fall victim to scams that can amount to thousands of dollars in losses paid to fraudulent businesses that spread disinformation and prey on the vulnerable.
The scammers range from human traffickers — often referred to as coyotes — to social media influencers, and many of them fraudulently pose as work recruiters, legal advisors or immigration coaches.
Most of the impostors take advantage of the many twists and turns in U.S. immigration policy, tricking migrants into paying for fake legal advice, work visas, political asylum or alternative ways to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
About a quarter of migrants surveyed earlier this month said they received messages offering immigration services and jobs, mainly via Facebook and WhatsApp. Two thirds of the 210 surveyed said they fell victim to some sort of fraud or disinformation. One migrant said he spent $1,500 on a form that turned out to be fake.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: This report was a collaboration among Verificado, Conexión Migrante, The Associated Press, Data-Pop Alliance and PolitiFact. It was produced with support from the International Center for Journalists' Disarming Disinformation project, with primary funding from The Scripps Howard Foundation.
Research team: Daniela Mendoza, Patricia Mercado, Julie Ricard, Abril Mulato, Gabriela Martínez, María Ramírez Uribe, Angélica Villegas, Anna Carolina Spinardi, Yvette Yañez and Ivonne Valdés.
Migrants line-up between a barbed-wire barrier and the border fence at the US-Mexico border, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, May 9, 2023. Unwittingly, migrants in Latin America finance disinformation during their journeys to the U.S., as they fall victim to fraud that can cost them thousands of dollars and that in turn has served to develop new business models, from fake work recruiters to those who call themselves "migration coaches." Credit: AP/Christian Chavez
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