American travelers going to Colombia have been told not to use dating apps there because eight American tourists have died under strange circumstances in the past two months.
The US embassy in Bogota said that some people were given drugs and robbed after meeting others on these apps.
Things happened a lot in cities like Medellin, Cartagena, and Bogota where more American tourists are visiting.
Travellers should stay away from places that are remote and alone, like hotel rooms.
The embassy warned that criminals use apps to trick people into meeting them in public places like restaurants and bars. Then they hurt, steal from, and even kill their victims, sometimes the person they met.
In the last three months of 2023, the number of robberies of foreign visitors went up by 200% and deaths by 29%. Eight Americans also died between November 1st and December 31st.
One of the people hurt was Tou Ger Xiong, a 50-year-old comedian and activist from Minnesota who is Asian-American.
He went on a trip to Colombia at the end of November. While he was there, he met a woman online and went on a date with her. Unfortunately, he was then kidnapped and killed.
Xiong was kidnapped and stabbed to death more than twelve times by a group of men.
The actual number of people from other countries who were hurt by these crimes may be more than what the numbers show.
The embassy said that these crimes often don’t get reported because the victims feel ashamed and don’t want to go through with the legal process.
Those who try to stop a robbery are more likely to be killed, the warning said.
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Colombian dating apps connected to eight US deaths
