On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 14:13:09 -0600, "Bob F." wrote:
>Travelling to Mexico, one's thoughts eventually turn to the subject of
>smuggling cars into the country.
>Can anyone out there tell me if they've pursued this strategy before:
> 1. I legally register my car at the border, using my credit card to pay
>fee.
>2. I travel into Mexico where I find a willing buyer for the vehicle. I
>sell them the car a the agreed upon price, give them the title, then return
>to the USA by bus, plane, hitchhiking, or donkey.
>3. Once back in the USA, I cancel the credit card.
>Since the credit card has been cancelled I'm guessing that I can't be
>charged a penalty by the Mexican government for not returning the car to the
>US. Are there any ramifications to this strategy that I'm overlooking,
>perhaps I won't be able to bring any more cars into the country? Could I
>run into problems if I try to get a tourist visa in the future?
This is a really, REALLY bad idea. It's based on the assumption that
the Mexican authorities are stupid. In fact, they have had lots of
experience with these scams in the past, and are just waiting for some
dumb gringo to come along thinking they can beat the system.
First of all, when you enter Mexico, your tourist card or passport
number is entered into their centralized computer data base with the
notation that you entered with a vehicle. If you then try to leave the
country without the vehicle... gotcha. Mexican jails are no picnic,
and the US Embassy will have zero interest in helping you get out. You
are a felon and international smuggler from that point on, forever.
Second, even if you DID make it back into the US without being
arrested, you couldn't cancel your credit card as long as there was a
transaction pending on it. If you tried to duck that obligation, then
the credit card bank would come after you. And when it was discovered
that their card was used to facilitate an international fraud, they
would undoubtedly notify the FBI. (Go directly to jail...)
And if you ever tried to visit Mexico again in the future (a passport
would have been revoked at this point), your name would be on the
intercept list and you'd probably never make it out the US. And even
if you did, the Mexican authorities would be waiting with open arms to
insure a long visit in their country. Computers have long memories.
And all this for what? But, what the hell, go for it if you wish.
Personally, I think our society would be improved by removing as many
people like you as possible from our streets.
Caveat |