The United States is sanctioning actors who perpetrated timeshare fraud schemes on behalf of Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a Mexico-based Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). Revenues from these schemes, which victimize Americans, are used to support the cartel's narco-terrorist enterprise.
Today's sanctions target CJNG leaders and an affiliate whose expansive corporate network was used in CJNG's timeshare fraud operations in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, a popular tourist destination. CJNG is one of the most powerful and violent cartels in Mexico.
CJNG's timeshare fraud schemes are based in call centers staffed by English-speaking telemarketers who impersonate brokers, attorneys, or government officials to deceive victims into paying advance "fees" and "taxes." According to FBI data, U.S. victims reportedly lost nearly $300 million to timeshare fraud schemes in Mexico between 2019 and 2023.
The United States is committed to protecting its citizens and disrupting the illicit and harmful activities of cartels. Victims of timeshare fraud are encouraged to file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. For elderly victims, financial institutions can also refer their customers to the Department of Justice's National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11.
