Every day, thousands of Mexicans turn to the internet to process their passport or their Federal Taxpayer Registry (RFC). However, in the first Google results, there are many ads for fraudulent sites that have led hundreds of people to lose money. María N., one of the victims seeking to renew her passport, trusted the first link shown by the search engine, transferring the payment to an unknown account. "I feel very sad knowing that one works hard to earn that money and people take advantage of these situations," she lamented.
The fraudulent domain that deceived María N. was registered on February 16, 2025, and despite warnings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) about fake sites, new phishing domains impersonating official sites appear daily. Many of these sites are positioned in Google Ads through sponsored ads, which enhances their visibility. Affected users demand answers from Google, as they rely on the results shown by the search engine to carry out official procedures online.
Although Google has policies to regulate ads on its platform, victims continue to fall for these online scams. The modus operandi of cybercriminals involves copying the design, logos, and structures of real sites, giving the appearance of authenticity. Expert recommendations include verifying the URL, not making payments by transfer, and reporting fraudulent sites to the appropriate authorities.
Frauds related to online government procedures are perfected day by day. Scammers demand immediate payments, generate fake appointments, and ask for personal data from victims. Despite the efforts of authorities to combat these frauds, the responsibility lies with users to verify the authenticity of websites before making any transactions.
