British holidaymakers are being ripped off by Mexican organised crime gangs who are orchestrating a massive scam plot that is feared to have forced tourists into paying millions of pounds in fake airport taxes. The so-called "Cancun Airport Tax" scam involves fraudulent “tax reps” exploiting a real state tourist tax called Visitax to overcharge travellers departing the country at the end of their holiday.
While federal taxes are automatically built into commercial airline tickets, the state-level Visitax is a legitimate legislative fee for the state of Quintana Roo, where Cancun is situated, that generally must be paid for separately. However, despite major British package holiday firms incorporating the tax into their fees, unrelenting, highly organised scam gangs – believed to be orchestrated by powerful drug cartels - are tricking departing passengers in their thousands.
How the Scam Works
Third-party workers wearing official-looking high-visibility vests or uniforms stand near departure desks and security escalators. They aggressively claim that you cannot board your flight without showing proof of payment, cornering tourists into paying immediately.
The legal cost of Visitax is roughly 283 Mexican Pesos - approximately £14. But unauthorised airport scammers are charging up to £120 by sneaking in massive "processing" and "convenience" fees.
For careful holidaymakers who frantically Google "Pay Visitax" while at the airport, the top search results are highly deceptive third-party copycat websites. They mirror official Government designs, harvest your passport data, overcharge you, and frequently issue invalid QR codes that fail to scan at actual security checkpoints.
Family's Ordeal
David and Sarah White and their two children from Glasgow last month returned from a two-week holiday to the sun-drenched resort, and despite being warned about the scam by fellow holidaymakers, still fell foul when confronted by visa tax operatives at the airport. They were swindled out of £98.33 and said virtually every other passenger on their flight paid the same fake levy to the “army” of nine reps and have now issued a stark warning to other tourists about the elaborate fraud “happening in plain sight.”
Area Sales manager Sarah, 48, and engineer David, 47, were flying back to Newcastle and had just dropped their bags at the TUI check-in desk when they were intercepted by one of a group of nine impeccably dressed “tax collectors” blocking their path. They demanded to see the family’s QR codes for their "departure tax," warning that airport security would deny them access to the departure gates without it.
Sarah said: “We told them we'd paid our tax. He went onto his iPad and pulled up an official-looking document which had a list of firms with TUI highlighted, falsely stating that the departure tax was not included in their holiday package and had to be paid immediately.
Sarah said: “We are not stupid people and we are not easily fooled, but they were so convincing. When we questioned why other people were not being stopped, we were told they were travelling internally, and we would not be allowed through security without a QR code proving the tax had been paid.
Believing they had no other choice, the Whites paid the $133 fee for the four of them and were immediately emailed receipts and instructed to take screenshots of their new QR codes to show at the security checkpoint. But the charade fell apart moments later when they presented the purchased QR codes to the actual airport security guard, he simply laughed and told them “not here, not here," whilst shaking his head and waving them through.
Impact and Warnings
It was only after returning to the UK that the couple researched the company and realised they had fallen for a well-known trap. Adding insult to injury, the family later discovered their checked luggage had been broken into during transit, with £500 worth of brand-new designer clothing stolen.
Engineer David added: “TUI emailed pre-travel safety advice warning about Mexico's tipping culture, but they failed to mention this highly visible scam operating tight next to their own check-in desks."
"Why doesn't the email say, 'Be warned that at the airport on departure, you do not need to pay'?" Sarah said: “It’s obviously not the fault of the holiday companies, but they could help raise awareness. Holidays are expensive enough without falling foul to such blatant behaviour. We also cannot understand how they were able to operate so freely inside the airport.”
Cancun International Airport and TUI have been approached for comment.
