Safety Tips in Mexico

As a visitor to Mexico, be alert to your new surroundings. Problem situations in Mexico may be different from those you are used to, and safety regulations and their enforcement are generally not equivalent to U.S. standards.

In large cities, take the same precautions against assault, robbery, or pickpockets that you would take in any large U.S. city. Be aware that women and small children, as well as men, can be pickpockets or purse snatchers. Keep you billfold in an inner front pocket; carry your purse securely under your arm; and wear the shoulder strap of your camera or bag across your chest. To guard against thieves on motorcycles, walk away from the curb and carry your purse away from the street.

At the Hotel. Travelers to Mexico should leave valuables and irreplaceable items in a safe place. All visitors are encouraged to make use of hotel safes when available.

On Public Transport. Be vigilant in bus and train stations and on public transport. Watch for pickpockets in these areas.

On Streets and Highways. Be wary of persons representing themselves as Mexican police or other local officials. It is not uncommon for Americans to become victims of harassment, mistreatment and extortion by Mexican law enforcement and other officials. Mexican authorities are concerned about these incidents and have cooperated in investigation such cases. You must, however, have the officer's name, badge number, and patrol car number to pursue a complaint. Make a note of this information if you are ever involved with police or other officials.

Do not be surprised if you encounter several types of police in Mexico. The Preventive Police, the Transit Police and the Federal Highway Police all wear uniforms. The Judicial Police who work for the public prosecutor are not uniformed.

At the Pool or Beach. Do not leave your belongings on the beach while you are swimming. Keep your passport and other valuables in the hotel safe.

Visitors to Mexican resorts should carefully assess the risk potential of recreational activities. Sports and aquatic equipment that you rent may not meet U.S. safety standards nor be covered by any accident insurance. For example, unless you are certain that scuba diving equipment is up to standard, do not use it. Inexperienced scuba divers should beware of dive shops that promise to "certify" you after a few hours of instruction. Safe diving requires lengthy training.

Parasailing is offered at many Mexican beach resorts. Be aware that by putting your name on the passenger list, you may be relieving the boat operator and owner of responsibility for your safety. There have been cases in which tourists have been dragged through palm trees or slammed into hotel walls while participating in the activity.

Be extremely careful when renting jet-skis. Several tourists have been killed or injured in jet-ski accidents, particularly when participating in group tours. Often inexperienced tour guides allow their clients to follow too closely or operate the jet-skis in other unsafe manners. In one case the jet-ski rental company carried liability insurance limited to $2,500 U.S. dollars. Make sure that the rental company has adequate medical/accident insurance, is staffed with personnel on-site with water rescue training, and properly demonstrates safe operation of the vehicle to you before you rent or operate such equipment. Do not use pools or beaches without lifeguards, or, if you do, exercise extreme caution. Do not dive into unknown bodies of water because hidden rocks or shallow depths can cause serious injury or death.

Some Mexican beaches, such as those in Cancun, have warning signs about undertow; take then seriously. Newer resorts may lack comprehensive medical facilities.

In Mexico City, crime has reached critical levels. Low apprehension and conviction rates contribute to the high rate of crime. Metropolitan areas other than the capital are considered to have lower but still serious levels of criminal activity.

Travelers to Mexico should leave valuables and irreplaceable items at home in the U.S. All visitors to Mexico are encouraged to make use of hotel safes when available, avoid wearing obviously expensive jewelry or designer clothing and carry only the cash or credit cards that will be needed on each outing. Travelers are discouraged from bringing very large amounts of cash into Mexico as officials may suspect money laundering or other criminal activity.

During 1998, criminal activity in Mexico City continued at a high rate, with marked increase in violent crime, including sexual assaults committed against women.

The most frequently reported crimes involve taxi robberies, armed robbery, pickpocketing and purse snatching. In several cases, tourists report that uniformed police are the crime perpetrators, stopping vehicles and seeking money or assaulting and robbing tourists walking late at night. The area behind the U.S. Embassy and the Zona Rosa, a restaurant and shopping area near the Embassy are frequent sites of street crime against foreigners. Caution should be exercised when walking in these areas, especially at night. Any U.S. citizen victims of crime in Mexico are encouraged to report the incident to local police authorities and to the nearest U.S. consular office.

U.S. citizens should be very cautions in using ATM cards and machines in Mexico. If an ATM machine must be used, it should be only during the business day at large protected facilities (preferably inside commercial extablishments, rather than at a glass-enclosed, highly visible ATM machine on streets where criminals can observe financial transactions).

U.S. citizens are advised to be careful when ordering beverages in local nightclubs and bars, especially at night. Some establishments may contaminate or drug the drinks to gain control over the patron. Victims, who are almost always unaccompanied, have been robbed of personal property and abducted and held while their credit cards were used at various businesses and ATM locations around the city.

Metro (subway) robberies are also becoming more frequent in Mexico City. If riding the Metro, U.S. citizens should hold valuables and belongings tightly. Avoid using Metro during busy commuting hours in the morning or afternoon. Incidents of people boarding long distance buses as passengers and robbing and assaulting all real passengers while underway have also been reported. If someone attempts to rob you, it is generally considered safest to immediately comply by handing over the requested items.

U.S. citizens should avoid providing person information to individuals not known to them. Information obtained from unaware travelers has been used by individuals in Mexico to extort money from families in the U.S. by contacting them and fraudulently informing them that a family member has been arrested in Mexico or requires urgent medical care. The caller gains their confidence by providing this personal information and requests that funds be send to assist their family member.

Kidnapping, including kidnapping of non-Mexicans, is increasing. U.S. businesses with offices in Mexico or concerned U.S. citizens may contact the Embassy to discuss precautions to take. Travelers to Mexico should exercise caution when traveling on all highways in Mexico. Of special concern are Highway 190 (Tuxtla to Tapachula), Highway 95 (Tuxtla to Villahermosa), Highway 186 (Chetumal to Villahermosa), Highway 15 (Sinaloa) and Express Highway 1 (Sinaloa). These highways have recently seen particularly high levels of criminal assaults and robberies. In addition, the Embassy recommends avoiding the highway from Altamirano to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, where a number of serious assaults have recently occurred. The U.S. Embassy advises its personnel to exercise extreme caution and not to travel on Mexican highways after dark for safety reasons.

All bus travel should be done during daylight and on first-class conveyances. These buses travel on toll roads that have are markedly lower rate of incidents than buses (second and third class) that travel the less secure free highways. while many of the assaults have occurred in daylight, the Embassy nevertheless encourages daytime travel to lower the chance of auto accidents.

Taxicab Crime. U.S. citizens visiting Mexico City should absolutely avoid taking any taxi not summoned by telephone or on their behalf by a responsible individual or contacted in advance at the airport. Robbery assaults on passengers in taxis have become more frequent and violent, with passengers subjected to beatings, sexual assault and murder. When in need of a taxi, telephone the a radio taxi or "sitio" (pronounced "C-T-O"). Ask the dispatcher for the driver's name and the cab's license plate number. If you walk to a "sitio" taxi stand, use only a driver known to you. Ask the hotel concierge or other responsible individual calling on your behalf to write down the license plate number. Passengers arriving at Mexico City's Benito Juarez Internation Airport should take only airport taxis (yellow with an airport symbol on the door) after pre-paying the fare at one of the special booths inside the airport. Radio taxis may be called at telephone numbers 271-9146, 271-9058, and 272-6125. U.S. citizens should avoid taxis parked outside the Bellas Artes theater, in front of nightclubs, restaurants or cruising throughout the city.

If you have been the vicitm of a crime immediately contact the U.S. Embassy or the nearest U.S. consulate or consular agency. You should also report the crime to the local police immediately.