Authorities in Veracruz have disabled more than 5,400 telephone lines allegedly used to commit extortion crimes during the first nine months of 2026.

The State Attorney General’s Office (Fiscalía General del Estado) reported that a total of 5,447 lines were deactivated between January and September. The data shows a significant crackdown in the early part of the year, with 4,371 lines disabled between January and July, followed by 635 in August and 441 in September.

The deactivations were carried out by the Specialized Unit for Combating Kidnapping and Extortion (UECS) as part of a strategy to prevent these lines from being used to target further victims.

“These numbers were used to contact, threaten, deceive, or intimidate potential victims with the goal of obtaining an economic benefit,” the agency stated in an official report.

Security Warnings and Prevention The Prosecutor’s Office warned that criminals frequently scour social media to gather information, which they use to create false scenarios or leverage personal and family data to generate fear and demand money.

To counter these tactics, the UECS has issued several safety recommendations for the public:

• Refrain from sharing real-time locations, travel plans, or daily routines online.
• Avoid providing personal information during suspicious phone calls.
• Verify the well-being of family members directly if they are mentioned by an unknown caller.

How to Respond to Extortion In the event of a threat or an economic demand, the Prosecutor’s Office advises the public to immediately break off communication. Citizens are urged not to make any deposits or transfers, to block the offending number, and to save all messages or screenshots as evidence for a formal complaint.