One of Mexico's deadliest cartels, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has been running a scam that targeted American tourists. Now, it has killed eight call center agents who worked for them in that scheme. They were allegedly trying to resign from that job.

The call center workers allegedly worked on one of the CJNG's scam call centers in Guadalajara that ran a real estate scam. They were apparently killed last month when their relatives reported them missing after they did not return from work.

The six men and two women were reported missing between May 20 and May 22. After they were reported missing, the plastic bags with hacked body parts were found, though there had been doubts about whether one of the young call center workers was among them.

The bodies were found last week. Jalisco state forensic examiners then confirmed on Monday that the hacked-up bodies did indeed belong to the eight missing call center workers.

According to the Associated Press, the families of the victims believed that they worked at a normal call center. As it turned out, though, it was run by one of Mexico's most notorious drug cartels, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which is also regarded as the country's most violent cartel.

These days, the CJNG has now also ventured into scam call centers that targeted Americans and Canadians through fake offers to buy their timeshares. This scam was targeted and sanctioned by the Biden administration.

The young call center workers were allegedly killed as a "message to other defectors," said a US official who asked to remain anonymous. The official added that this has happened before, as the cartel usually kills workers and members who try to leave the organization.

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How the CJNG Scam Works

The CJNG's scam call center in Guadalajara was part of its fraudulent timeshare apartment scams. They often target foreign tourists, mostly Americans visiting the beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, to purchase timeshares.

Those tourists who own timeshare apartments are often made to believe that they were getting purchase offers for their real estate from potential buyers, according to Vice News.

They are then made to pay fees and taxes to complete sales transactions. However, once the transaction is complete, the scam brokers suddenly disappear.

The US Department of Treasury warned US citizens that these companies usually claim to be financial services or real estate companies. However, they are often linked directly or indirectly to the CJNG.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Tourism

Americans usually go to resort towns in Mexico for a vacation. However, this also makes them a prime target for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which is using Mexico's lucrative tourism industry for its various crimes.

According to InSight Crime. the CJNG has used the Mexican tourism industry to launder money, traffic drugs, and scam tourists. It usually uses drug money for construction projects as a way to launder money. These construction projects are usually housing developments or residential complexes in Puerto Vallarta that are also used to lure tourists in their timeshare fraud schemes.

The CJNG also uses the restaurant industry as a way to exchange for drug shipments and sales. However, restaurants have also attracted authorities to them because of these exchanges, and this is where Mexico authorities usually clash with cartel members.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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