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By: Ellen Cans
The U.S. Embassy in Colombia is warning tourists of gang activity and a safety alert on using dating apps in the country. Eight men were killed in the city of Medellin in Colombia, between November 1 and December 31, 2023, often after meeting women on dating apps. “The deaths appear to involve either involuntary drugging overdose or are suspected homicides. At this time, it is not believed these deaths are linked as each involved distinct circumstances, however several of the deaths point to possible drugging, robbery, and overdose, and several involve the use of online dating applications,” says the online security advisory. “Criminals use dating apps to lure victims to meet in public places such as hotels, restaurants, and bars, and then later assault and rob them. Numerous U.S. citizens in Colombia have been drugged, robbed, and even killed by their Colombian dates.”
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, in some of those deaths, the American men were found dead in their hotel rooms or rented apartments after going out with local women met through the dating apps. In other instances, the men were robbed and killed by thugs on the street while they were on the dates, per police reports. Still others seem to have died from mixing heavy drinks with drugs, with police suspecting that gang members snuck the mind-altering substances into their drinks or food to incapacitate them before robbing them.
Per the WSJ, the country has been enjoying robust tourism since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1.3 million visitors to Medellin last year alone. Unfortunately, some of that is sex tourism, men visiting because prostitution is legal there. Dating apps including apps like Tinder and Bumble feature many women from Colombia, who encourage middle-aged American men to indulge in the country’s seductive dating scene. In some cases, innocent foreigners who just end up in the wrong bar have also become victim to drugging and robbery. The advisory suggests that visitors to the country refrain from getting drunk, using dating apps, and meeting in secluded places. Also, the alert urges visitors to let their family members know of their plans, “including where you are going, details of the person you are meeting, and the app you used to meet them.”
The city’s tourism advocacy board confirmed that thefts against foreigners had tripled during the third quarter of 2023, compared to the prior year. Per the WSJ, the Attorney General’s office said it arrested around 50 people in Medellín in 2023 for allegedly working with criminal groups to target tourists. In September, prosecutors arrested 14 members of one alleged crime syndicate, which included underage girls used to create fake social-media profiles to lure in victims– who were primarily men between the ages of 27 and 60. The gang members were accused of robbing money and jewelry worth close to $100,000 in a span of 10-month. “Unfortunately, the economic boom that we see through tourism also creates spaces for criminal structures to make money for themselves,” said William Vivas, Medellín’s top official who fields and investigates citizen complaints. “There are women and men who are hunting to seduce you and mug you. My advice would be don’t let yourself get seduced.”
“We want more and more foreigners to come, but we want them to take part in tourism that adds value,” Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez said after the U.S. issued its warning. “Anyone who thinks they can come here for that sex and drugs tourism, we don’t want any of that here.”
