According to a study by the Belisario Domínguez Institute, despite the increase in reports, extortion remains one of the least reported crimes in Mexico, with only 2% of cases being investigated. The most common forms of extortion include 'cobro de piso', threats, and phone scams. Although the numbers of reports do not vary significantly from year to year, with 10,337 reports in 2023, the crime remains invisible to many victims who fear reprisals, distrust the authorities, or suffer the emotional and economic impact of the crime.
The entities with the highest incidence of extortion in 2023 were the State of Mexico, Veracruz, and Guanajuato, with a greater presence in urban areas than in rural ones. The use of artificial intelligence by criminals to commit extortions is a worrying trend that has allowed identity theft and the creation of false situations, sowing confusion and fear among victims. Despite the authorities' efforts to combat it, extortion remains one of the least addressed crimes in terms of justice, leaving victims in a vulnerable situation and distrustful of the country’s security and justice system.
The study highlights the lack of trust in the authorities responsible for investigating and punishing the crime as one of the main reasons why extortion remains underreported. Impunity and distrust exacerbate the situation, creating a cycle of violence and vulnerability for millions of Mexicans. Criminal gangs are now using technologies such as artificial intelligence to extort families of missing migrants at the Mexico-U.S. border.
States with smaller populations, such as Morelos or Colima, exhibit a higher incidence of extortion than more populated entities. On the other hand, states such as Coahuila, Chiapas, and Tlaxcala report lower rates of complaints. In recent years, criminal gangs have turned to artificial intelligence to perpetrate new types of extortion, posing an increasing challenge for authorities in Mexico.
