Venezuela’s organized crime landscape is plagued by fraudsters who take advantage of the country’s high levels of insecurity and fear, posing as gang members or authorities to extort money from unsuspecting victims. These scammers have capitalized on the increasing incidence of extortion, kidnappings, and other violent crimes in Venezuela, with many people preferring to pay up rather than risk potential danger.
Fake extortion calls are among the most prevalent impersonation tactics, using the names of notorious criminal groups to intimidate victims into paying. These scammers often call from out-of-state or prisons, but their lack of precision and vagueness often reveal their true nature. Real extortion gangs tend to be more meticulous in their research, knowing intimate details about their targets.
In addition to posing as gang members, some fraudsters impersonate Venezuelan authorities who are known to run their own extortion schemes. With false identification and uniforms sold illegally, these scammers have successfully targeted businesses and individuals with arrest warrants.
Extortion is not the only crime scammers are imitating. They have also begun to impersonate other criminal networks, such as kidnapping rings and human smugglers. In one instance, a crypto-broker faked his own kidnapping to steal over $1 million worth of cryptocurrency. As Venezuelan migration flows increase, human smuggling scams have also become more prevalent, with fraudsters posing as smugglers, demanding upfront payments, and disappearing after receiving the money.
Venezuela’s extreme insecurity levels and widespread corruption among security officials have created a fertile environment for these scams to thrive. The population’s distrust of the police and fear of violence have forced many victims to pay up, even if they suspect the extortion attempt may be a scam. With little hope of support from the authorities, the people of Venezuela continue to suffer under the weight of both real and fraudulent organized crime.