Photo: Interpol

By KELIN DILLON

According to new information from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), Mexico’s notorious organized crime organization the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is involved in international financial fraud schemes.

Interpol’s Financial Fraud Assessment noted that the growing availability of advanced technology has allowed groups like the CJNG greater access to its pool of victims.

“Changes in technology and the rapid increase in the scale and volume of organized crime have fueled the creation of a host of new ways to defraud innocent people, businesses and even governments,” said Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock. “With the development of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies, the situation will only get worse if urgent measures are not taken.”

The organization warned that the most common forms of financial fraud in North America are identity theft, fraudulent technical support, telecommunications fraud, advanced payments and false romances utilized to take advantage of victims.

Interpol also noted that there’s been a rise in human trafficking-related financial fraud across the Americas, including coercing human trafficking victims into committing fraud through social media applications and social media platforms.

“There is increasing evidence that Latin American criminal organizations such as the Comando Vermelho, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the CJNG also participate in the commission of financial fraud,” read the Interpol assessment.

Following its analysis, Interpol urged for countries to work together “to strengthen data collection and analysis to develop more informed and effective combat strategies” and to “create public-private partnerships among multiple stakeholders to locate and recover funds lost due to financial fraud, to effectively address this crime that is increasing around the world and close the gaps of crucial information.”