The need and urgency to obtain money to buy school supplies can cause people to fall into the hands of so-called “debt collectors” which are nothing more than supposed loans through telephone applications that people resort to, without knowing that they are activities linked to organized crime that resort to insults, threats and even beatings to collect its debt skyrockets beyond what was originally established.
In the first seven months of this year, this form of illegal debt collection increased by 29% compared to the same period in 2023 The cases went from 4,907 to 6,345, where people were victims of improper charges far beyond what they were loaned. and the agreed interests, according to figures from the Citizens’ Council.
The reports identified 1,046 debt-mounting apps since 2021. In 2024, 57 new ones were added to bring the total to 1,103 applications that resort to this illicit activity. called “debt mounter”.
Of these, there are four applications that show considerable increases in citizen complaints: Señor Cash rose 742 percent, Crédito Cash 440 percent, Prestamax 420 percent and Molo Préstamo 146 percent.
The debt montadeudas scheme is based on immediate loans, with minimum requirements, through digital means, whose payment conditions are modified and collection is carried out through threats and extortion.
“To avoid the risk of mounting debts when buying school supplies, the most important thing is caution, to be wary of easy and quick loans, especially from those who do not check the credit bureau, to investigate their reputation, to carefully review the conditions offered, as well as not to facilitate access to your digital device when installing apps,” recommended the president of the Citizen Council, Salvado Guerrero Cyprus.
Among the main problems reported by the victims are: 47 percent collect debts with insults or threatswith 19 percent warnings to disclose the debt to the victim’s contacts, 13 percent the collection of a loan that was not required and recorded when downloading the application.
54 percent of the cases of debt mounting come from the interior of the Republic, of which two out of three are concentrated in the State of Mexico, Coahuila, Jalisco, Puebla, Veracruz and Guanajuato.
60 percent of victims are women and 57 percent of those who report are between 26 and 45 years old.
“As of 2021, the Citizen Council has made debt montadesas visible, a criminal strategy in which the operation of organized crime and the possibility of money laundering even from other countries are implicit, with damages of up to 10 thousand pesos for each victim“, Guerrero Chiprés pointed out
Through the Safety Line and Confidence Chat, 55 5533 5533, the Citizen Council provides free preventive, legal and emotional guidance, 24/7, to the entire country.
