The Mexican consulate in Denver has seen a massive spike in Americans seeking citizenship and visas to live south of the border, and more and more of them are getting scammed online by impersonators.
“It is great that they love our country, that they want to be there. It is cheaper, they have more opportunities to buy real property,” Miguel Barradas, who handles legal affairs for the consulate, says of Mexico’s new residents. “They are more than welcome to apply for any kind of permit to stay in Mexico, but we want to make sure they know that the process is carried out here in the consulate. We don’t use intermediaries.”
Over the last couple of months, dozens of online scams have targeted people seeking the Denver consulate’s assistance in securing a temporary or permanent Mexican resident visa, which are mostly taken out by Americans near retirement age. People usually fall for these scams while looking for workarounds through long wait times and red tape, Barradas says…