Thread: Mexican Survival Guide (How prevent an abduction in Mexico)

This Survival Guide is being passed on by Mexican citizens to their loved ones. Please take a moment of your time to read what it takes to avoid an abduction in Mexico.

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Today in the headquarters OF THE ATTORNEY'S OFFICE we had a talk with VÃ*ctor H. Aguirre of the Vance International, who has offered protection at a presidential level, participated and directed operations against organized crime, functioned as the Main Instructor Agent in security zones like: Protection to Executives, Evasive Management and Security within the city.

**He was trained by former agents of the Secret Service and Special Forces of the U.S. Army. Some of the tips that he mentioned and wanted to share with you are:

1. Having your vehicle registration card in a small bag in the trunk of the car.

2. Carrying a single credit card and at least 1 thousand pesos (aprox. $100 dlls) /(to give up in case of a robbery). Remember that each credit card can withdraw 4 thousand pesos (aprox. $400 dlls), if you have at least 3, that can turn into 12 thousand pesos (apox. $1,200 dlls), that can become 24 thousand ($2,400 dlls) if they withdraw on the next day.

3. Do not carry business cards or photographs of relatives on your wallet.

4. Do not carry your voter ID card, unless you plan to do some banking movements or another kind where it is necessary.

5. Do not show your cell phone on the street.

6. If the cell phone rings and your are walking along the street, you should stand next to a wall, observe toward both sides, answer and ask the person that calls to call you at a later time.

7. Dress in modest fashion

8. Observe always the hands and eyes of any stranger that walks toward us, if he has his hands in his pockets he is possibly bringing a weapon

9. In a parking or in the street, not to aim the control that opens the car more than 50 cms (aprox. 2 feet) from the vehicle, someone may be observing you.

10. In the inevitable case that you are assaulted while you open the car, raise your hands, look downward (never see the assailant)/ and to listen to his demands. The alternatives in this occasion are:

A) Do not permit him to take you inside his car, by negotiating: 'Take my care, my money, credit cards, etc.' (98% of the people that are taken into their car DIE)

B) Repeat in a calm way, for example: 'I have my wallet in my right pocket and I am going to remove it'.

C) in the event that he insists on taking you to his car, pretend a fainting or an asthma attack (perhaps the attackers will kick you, but they not try to carry you, the
surest thing is that they will get into their car and go)

11. . One must vary driving routes and not to be predictable. If you go in by car:

A. Do not watch the attacker.

B. They generaly arrive in a diagonal angle, not sideways or in front.

C.- The most common places for robberies are at stop signals, crossings and light signals. By which one must to be watching the rearview and the side mirrors.

D.- Windows up and lock your doors. Do not have bags or jackets in sight, it is better than they to have that in the trunk.

12. Be aware of the window cleaners and do not to permit them to place themselves over the hood (almost always they are observing what we have in the car)

13. As a way of prevention one must utilize the middle lanes, since generally they attack cars that are on the side lanes.

14. Leave a meter (aprox. 3 feet) of distance from the car in front because it maybe necessary to collide with the car in front and frustrate the robbery.

RESCUE ABDUCTION

1. Generally happens to high executives

2. They are planned

3. Committed in the proximity of the victim's home or office

4. Commited by 4 to 6 people


ABDUCTION EXPRESS:

1. Victim selected at random

2. Committed around an ATM

3. Attackers seek jewels and fast money

4. Victim is freed in hours.

5. Generally they happen on Friday's after 6 PM and in two-week periods.


VIRTUAL ABDUCTION:

1. When someone calls saying a family member has had an accident and tell you to go to a certain location.

WHEN GOINT TO AN ATM:

1. Do not go alone, and if possible, do not withdraw money at nights or during two-week periods.

2. Seek an ATM that is not at a hidden or unknown location.

3. When you withdrawal money in a bank, ask the cashier to count the money again in slow form, is not recommendable to count money in front of others.


PRECAUTIONS IN PUBLIC PLACES:

1. In a restaurant, sit down in a place near an emergency exit and where at the same time we have in sight the main entrance.

2. Walk the most separated possible from the wall in a street.

3. Do not walk in dark streets.

4. Park near the entrances in a shopping center.

5. When someone asks for the time in the street, ignore them and continue walking forward, since we do not know what their real intentions are.

HOTELS:

1.- Try to have your room between the 1st and 5th floor. (The fire stairs only arrive at that floor)

2.- Do not return the room access card to the lobby, it contains all of your personal information and the credit limit. As the expert in the matter of security mentioned, 'If they have a plan, we should also ours'.

As you have seen, all of these measure COULD prevent an abduction in Mexico. The only sure way to avoid an aduction is to AVOID MEXICO COMPLETELY!

Did I miss the 'call the police' instruction?

"Evil unchecked grows. Evil tolerated poisons the whole system."
Jawaharlal Nehru

The 1st thing that Survival Guide should tell you is - IF YOU ARE AN AMERICAN, STAY OUT OF MEXICO! Who in their right mind would want to conduct business or vacation in such a dangerous place?