Rising Bank Disputes in Quintana Roo: 31.9M Pesos Claimed

In Quintana Roo, disputes against banks are on the rise. In the last year alone, the Financial Services User Attention Unit (Condusef) received 5,817 complaints. This represents a 21% increase from the previous year, amounting to over 31.9 million pesos in total claims. Unrecognized charges are the most common complaint, followed by issues with updating credit history. This highlights the need for ongoing promotion of bank card safety measures to help prevent potential fraud.

"Most of the complaints we receive concern unrecognized charges or transfers. We've noticed two recurring types of fraud that people are falling victim to," explained Osmaida Santiago Leonel, head of Condusef. "The first involves fraudulent phone calls where the caller poses as a bank representative, tricking individuals into sharing their personal information. The second type of fraud occurs at ATMs, where groups of individuals offer unsolicited assistance to primarily older adults. They convince the unsuspecting victims that their account is still open after using the ATM, and offer to help them close it. In the process, they ask the victims to reinsert their card and while distracting them, they swap the card and keep the original."

Leonel emphasized that vigilance is key, as these types of fraud cases saw a significant increase last year. In 2024, a total of 31.9 million pesos was recovered, a 62.8% increase from 2023. As of January 2025, 1.5 million pesos have already been recovered.

"It's worth noting that 24.2% of these claims were made by older adults," Leonel added. With 557 complaints already reported this year, it is clear that preventative measures to protect personal information are more important than ever.