Crime, Safety, and the Police

[Hargow20]

The 078 number did not work for me. So called Tmobiile and they told me that the 078 number is considered to a 800 number so you cannot dial it from their network.

078 is / was a tourist assistance number in Tijuana. Not sure if it is still active.

[Captain Solo]

Dcrist.

Tijuana hangs a huge banner over the return car lanes with a 800 phone number for any complaint or comment. I called and it was never answered.

I called Tijuana's Internal Affairs and District Attorney offices. They told me I had go to city hall and sign written complaints.

Thanks for posting this Tijuana number. When confronted or accused by policia, insist you don't understand them and want them to call in their sergeants or Policia Tourista, or call this Tijuana number. That usually ends their bullshit.

[Dcrist0527]

078 is / was a tourist assistance number in Tijuana. Not sure if it is still active.

One other number I can pass along. I have not verified that this is still active. But if your carrier does not connect you using 078, try 664 438 9334. That is a local tourist help number. Again, not sure it is still active.

[TomJackin]

I was given a note at the border a few years ago to contact the State Dept at 078, don't know if this is still a good number, if you experience any problems in Tijuana. It mentioned marking your bills with a UV pen and get the name of the police officer, vehicle number, time and location of any incident. Get the name of the border agent involved. I have had my share of police thefts in Tijuana over the years.

078 is / was a tourist assistance number in Tijuana. Not sure if it is still active.

[KC Questor]

I was given a note at the border a few years ago to contact the State Dept at 078, don't know if this is still a good number, if you experience any problems in Tijuana.

There are signs up in many touristy areas (not the Zona Norte, though) with instructions on who to call if foreigners have issues in Tijuana. I don't have the number handy though.

[Ho Lover1]

I read a lot Tijuana news the police are in a steal everything from the gringo mode right now. There's TV news stories where the police took hundreds from gringos in cars, retired older people not mongers, and they told the people they have to strealndue to Mexico's economy with the covid. In other words they skipped the pretend ticket part, and just said pay me. Also on this forum alone a lot more stories. I'd say more police issues in last 3 months then the prior 4 years combined. With that said, I was bothered more 4 years ago. Last 3 years jnly bothered once. Never had money taken. I walked around zona alone and revolucion maybe 10 days in July August nobody bothered me.

I was given a note at the border a few years ago to contact the State Dept at 078, don't know if this is still a good number, if you experience any problems in Tijuana. It mentioned marking your bills with a UV pen and get the name of the police officer, vehicle number, time and location of any incident. Get the name of the border agent involved. I have had my share of police thefts in Tijuana over the years.

[Artisttyp]

a wireless tear gas alarm at Ubackoff dot com. Remote control switch to activate -- sounds a siren then releases a tear gas cloud to fill the room. . . Thieves will leave your room and stuff ASAP. . .

Good Point. I have seen other travel alarms for sale which I am sure can be connected somehow to the Pac Safe. I used to frequent www.corporatetravelsafety.com for my James Bond travel needs.

[Captain Solo]

Dickus,

Local guys said he had multiple stab wounds, his body wrapped up in tarp and weighed down with big rocks then taken out and dumped in the ocean in a panga. It did not look like not a crime of opportunity but more like a deliberate murder, deals went bad somewhere. As usual Mexican police is too busy stealing and squeezing every one for bribes to bother.

Cabo is right across from Mazatlan and Sinaloa, connected by a ferry across the sea of Cortez, a hot bed for drug cartels' reign. Guys living in Cabo said in the last 10 years, drug cartels moved in and took controls of bars, strip clubs, escort agencies, extracting high taxes with threats of kidnap and violence. Guys who operated escort agencies just closed up and left. Tourism and resorts operators are probably paying a stiff tax to stay alive and do business. Drug cartels are increasingly controlling and destroying many more social and economic activities in Mexico.

Probably screwed someone over and they took the law into their own hands. It's wise to maintain good relations

[Travv]

I secure my Pacsafe to the toilet base. Wrap the steel cord around it then padlock it. Don't think the thief is going to want to carry a toilet base with a Pacsafe locked to it out of the hotel. But this works only for the Travelsafe variety. It has a long steel cord that some of the other Pacsafe types do not have. If you are really paranoid, you can spring $300 for a wireless tear gas alarm at Ubackoff dot com. Remote control switch to activate -- sounds a siren then releases a tear gas cloud to fill the room. . . Thieves will leave your room and stuff ASAP. . .

Just Curious. Do you simply wrap it around the pipe? If you do that then someone can just cut the bag with bolt clippers regardless what it is attached to. The good thing about having it in a suitcase is no one knows what it is. Many people have locked suitcases but not many people have locked money bags visible under the sink.

Maybe I misread how you hide it. Please explain. I'd like to have more options. The Pac Safe is somewhat limited.

Another tool I use is a Relator's key box that hangs on a doorknob. Although they are heavy for air travel.

[Dickus Maximus]

I rented a room from this guy Craig Harrison in Cabo a few years back. He owned a small hotel and bought / sold timeshare units.

He was a hard-ass kind of guy, pugnacious and hard to deal with. Local guys said he had been stabbed, his body weighed down with rocks and dumped in the ocean.

Probably screwed someone over and they took the law into their own hands. It's wise to maintain good relations in Mexico as the police are unlikely to be much help.

[Hargow20]

I have not seen the police shaking down people in the Zona lately. This because there is other people around. My guess is that the police tried to harass me because I was in a bit isolated. I will be taking Uber or taxi back to the border until things settle down.

I read a lot Tijuana news the police are in a steal everything from the gringo mode right now. There's TV news stories where the police took hundreds from gringos in cars, retired older people not mongers, and they told the people they have to strealndue to Mexico's economy with the covid. In other words they skipped the pretend ticket part, and just said pay me. Also on this forum alone a lot more stories. I'd say more police issues in last 3 months then the prior 4 years combined. With that said, I was bothered more 4 years ago. Last 3 years jnly bothered once. Never had money taken. I walked around zona alone and revolucion maybe 10 days in July August nobody bothered me.

[Captain Solo]

I can use Schwab mobile app to lock and unlock cards. Just unlock the card before use then relock it. Secured enough.

Jinxx pointed out an ATM inside the Calimax on Constitucion and calle2. Close enough.

[Dogers69]

Has anyone been seeing more shakedownls lately. ? Just wondering fi there has been a rise or if was just the victim of the random stop. ?

I read a lot Tijuana news the police are in a steal everything from the gringo mode right now. There's TV news stories where the police took hundreds from gringos in cars, retired older people not mongers, and they told the people they have to strealndue to Mexico's economy with the covid. In other words they skipped the pretend ticket part, and just said pay me. Also on this forum alone a lot more stories. I'd say more police issues in last 3 months then the prior 4 years combined. With that said, I was bothered more 4 years ago. Last 3 years jnly bothered once. Never had money taken. I walked around zona alone and revolucion maybe 10 days in July August nobody bothered me.

[Artisttyp]

I like to loop my Pacsafe up under the sink around the plumbing. Imagine a determined hotel staff trying to cut or weld thru the plumbing to get to the Pacsafe jajajaja. Take them awhile and look like complete idiots. One time in Pereira, Colombia I thought I hid about $100 in COP inside a book in my upscale hotel but they found it! If it ain't locked down poof gone, "No dar la papaya".

Just Curious. Do you simply wrap it around the pipe? If you do that then someone can just cut the bag with bolt clippers regardless what it is attached to. The good thing about having it in a suitcase is no one knows what it is. Many people have locked suitcases but not many people have locked money bags visible under the sink.

Maybe I misread how you hide it. Please explain. I'd like to have more options. The Pac Safe is somewhat limited.

Another tool I use is a Relator's key box that hangs on a doorknob. Although they are heavy for air travel.

[ScatManDoo]

"Need to find secured Atms in Tijuana. ".

I'm sorry to hear of all the debit thefts down there. I'm thinking folks are trying to pull from ATMs once inside TJ since they ration the amount of purchase before entering correct?

The better cambio rates of exchange (when acquiring pesos) seem usually to be at cambios on the United States side of the border. When needing hundreds of dollars worth of pesos (instead of thousands of dollars worth) the limiting of transaction size is usually also not a problem.

The reason I get pesos from Tijuana located ATMs is because I seem to get much better rates when using a Schwab debit card compared to any cambio on either side. Often more than 5% better exchange rates when ATM fees are removed, which Schwab does for Schwab One account holders.

I've used the HSBC freestanding ATM inside of Soriana grocery's pharmacy section for over a decade. Never a problem and I feel comfortable in the store's area where the ATM is located.