Kidnapping fears prompt warning to tourists using dating apps in Mexico
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Why tourists are being warned about using dating apps in Mexico
- The U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara issued a security alert warning U.S. tourists to exercise caution when using dating apps in Mexico, following reports of kidnappings in Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Nayarit.
- Victims have been extorted for large sums of money by individuals they met on dating apps, with their families in the United States being contacted for ransom.
- The security alert identified Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and Nuevo Nayarit as potentially dangerous areas for using dating apps.
- The US consulate advises travellers to meet strangers only in public places, avoid isolated locations, inform friends and family of their plans, and trust their instincts.
- Jalisco is classified as "Level 3: Reconsider Travel" and Nayarit as "Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution" in the State Department’s travel advisory due to crime and kidnapping.