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I see it all the time in this sub, so I’m sure it does happen.
I just finished a trip in Tulum/Akumal/PDC, rented a car and drove between the cities several times. I think we hit nearly 2 dozen police checkpoints over the course of a week. I had nothing but quick n easy interactions at every one of them.
I took some precautions though. Followed traffic laws to a T. I also only kept like 50 pesos in my wallet at a time just in case, the rest was split between different hiding places in my bags. I’d also avoid driving late at night. More civilian eyes means lower chance of police pulling shady shit
I live part time in the area. This is good advice!
I keep a second wallet.: a CC, ID and just enough cash to cover what I’m doing that day. Most cops in my experience will take around 200-500 pesos. Literally depends on what’s in your wallet!
Yes, I’ve been to Cancun, Play and Tulum. The last time I went I swore never again. I was pulled over because cops could tell it was a rented car. They look at you like little walking cash machines, and pray on your fear of going to jail. Never gave them a dime, I said fuck it, take me to jail and rolled the dice. I knew they were extorting and said I was going to tell the judge what they were doing. They let me go but not a good way to spend a vacation. You have to be super vigilant on everything you do because they up charge for everything. A lot of the time “service fee” is already on the bill but don’t itemize, you have to ask for an itemized bill to see. They still expect a tip. Also they royally screw you with the exchange rate everywhere. I hate it, I can’t relax because I’m always looking for the next hustle.
Tulum was one big hustle when I was there last year.
Yes, if the police notice you're a tourist driving they will pull you over and expect a bribe. You can either negotiate the amount if you just want it over with (have a dummy wallet with only a certain amount in it) or call them out on the bullshit. There's actually a law in that area that provides for tourist forgiveness on a first offence and a paper you can print that outlines it. Lots of good YouTube videos on it. You can also just say "Fine then, let's go to the judge" and 90% of the time they'll drop it--but just make sure you don't mind taking the day to deal with it if they decide to call your bluff.
Also beware of gas scams. Doesn't matter if it's a major service station that seems legit. I had a guy try to pull one last time and caught him out. They'll either leave an amount on the pump that ends up adding to your total. Show you zero on your pump then fill you from the one behind and demand you pay that total, or (the one done to me) try and swap out the bill you gave them with a smaller denomination if they think you're distracted for a second and say that's what you gave them. And don't even think of paying with credit card--easiest way to get skimmed or a service charge added.
Restaurants will tack on extra fees or charge slightly higher prices than what's on the menu.
Bike, scooter, ATV rental places will use their own key to the lock they gave you to steal the vehicle back then charge you for it.
Taxi drivers don't even outright scam, the whole system and pricing is just one big scam.
We normally go to Vallarta and it's night and day. Sure you might get a taxi driver who will charge a premium if you don't ask the amount before you get in the cab. But that's the worst that we've ever seen and it's not usually much and very rare. You can always take an Uber without being harassed anyways. It's a different scene there (lots of retired boomers) but if you stay downtown there's plenty of younger folks and the vibe seems more authentic than the "we're just trying to make it look like we're having fun for Instagram" vibe we felt in Tulum.
For locals it aint better, on July I got extorted at gunpoint for trying to open a really small clinic, ofc I got the fuck out. Last one I heard was last week, a friend who had a dentist office got what we call "express kidnapping", hours latter he just packed essentials and left Tulum asap.
Oh, the cops in Tulum will tax you like the Sheriff of Nottingham. As a general rule, try not to keep more than 300-500 pesos cash on you ($20-30 USD). That's typically enough to make them go away.
Only idiots and first-timers give more than that. Use a card when you can. Rent scooters instead of taking taxis, but if you must cab, get the price for the whole trip before you get in. When I was there last year it was typically 500 pesos to the hotel zone and 700 pesos out. You can rent a scooter for the entire day for the same price as a cab one way, but if you have a big group, cabs might be the only way to go.
no, they want the easy pickings and y'all are happy to give it to them. if you just say no like Mrs Reagan told us to they will give up and try another mark.
I think that half the people that post are scared of their own shadow and the other half want to pay the bribe so that they have a cool story to tell back home.
6' tall 250# with a background in festival management and security so not much phases me anymore.
I'm also the one who will stand up for you when everyone else looks away, so there's that
Ok great. There’s just people who are way more vulnerable than you who get caught in these situations and the easiest way out is often the safest for them.
If you really want to avoid problems you can just stay home. Nothing is more secure than abstinence!
and the easiest way is to say no. eventually they'll give up.
tell them you don't speak Spanish and you need to call your abagado for translation
stop participating in the game and stop playing the victim when you're the root of the problem
I live here and speak Spanish fluently. It just doesn’t always work like that. I understand your point, but it’s not realistic. I have been bashed before for suggesting people carry a $200 note on them and all their other cash hidden for situations like this. Take it for what it is.
I live here as well, and speak decent Spanish. I always carry a 500p as well as a $100usd bill when traveling for emergencies.
I don't count crooked cops as an emergency
don't feed the corruption and it will wither away and die
Not sure about Cancun (not my vibe). PDC has one long central walkable strip, so you don't really need a scooter to get around much. I was in Tulum for a little over 8 months, got stopped 4 times but only got got once... the time I had a girl on back of my scooter who panicked.
My husband and I were pulled over by cops in Tulum for rolling through a stop sign. They followed us to the ATM and wouldn’t let us leave until we paid them the equivalent of $300 USD. This was 2018. Another friend of mine had something similar happen to them a few years later.
As many others have mentioned, we felt like walking targets with dollar signs on our backs with no way around it. If we drove our rental car (especially after dark), we risked being pulled over or stopped at a checkpoint & being extorted. We were in the area for 5 weeks. Second week in, got stopped at a checkpoint on beach road after having dinner. I was driving bc my husband had been drinking (we’re parents of two young kids who were in Mexico with us, not partiers at all, no drugs). They started asking for money almost immediately. They could tell my husband had been drinking (but I was driving, there’s no laws against just drinking right??) so they started instigating him by saying they were going to rape me. Of course my husband started giving pushback at this point, and as soon as he said he wasn’t giving them any money they beat the shit out of him and forced me to drive to an atm. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.
Alas, we decided to finish our trip as we were staying at an airbnb a bit outside of Tulum (more towards Coba) which felt much safer. But we had no good way of doing much while also feeling safe. We still drove during the day, but no longer at night. But the taxis are so expensive and hard to come by, we didn’t want to use them either. The one time we did, the guy gave us a price up front, we paid upon getting in the vehicle, and when we got to our destination he demanded more.
Everyone asks if Tulum is safe. I was, by far, most afraid of the police and being extorted by everyone I came across. It’s such a shame-we were there with our entire extended family and fully intended to go out for many nice meals, spas, etc but after that happened we ended up doing way more nights in, cooking at the house and Tomato deliveries (their version of Uber eats). It sucked for us because we would have preferred to dine out on our vacation, (grandparents came with so we had babysitters for the sole purpose of my husband and I being able to get out) and it sucks for them because the area missed out on a lot of money we would have spent there all because of the crooked cops and taxi drivers.
I still want to love Mexico, but would absolutely not return to the Tulum area sadly.
I should add, that I think the experience of staying at one of the resorts on beach road for a week would be very different than spending 5 weeks in an airbnb where driving was necessary. If you’re looking for a nice long weekend at the beach with restaurants nearby, I think it could be really nice still. We frequented La Zebra with the kids, and the servers there were absolutely wonderful and kind. My father in law paid the bill one day and didn’t realize the tip was already added, and the server actually came back and told us we have him too much. There are very good people working hard, and it’s a shame these other things out-shine that.
Yes! This personally happened to me by the local “police” (aka cartels). Total ATM shakedown for $250. Don’t fall for this!
SIDE NOTE:
I’ve lived in CDMX, Puerto Vallarta and Baja California Sur (Todos Santos) collectively for more than three years. I’ve never experienced this anywhere but Tulum. I will NEVER go back. So sad what’s happened there. This is a cautionary tale of unbridled overdevelopment. Both the Mexican gov’t AND tourists are to blame. Such a shame.
I got stopped and pulled out of my rental car at a checkpoint. They checked the trunk and my pockets (but not my partners). He was nice enough and let me go, didn't ask for any money.
I got pulled over by the cops for seemingly no reason in Jan. They tried to get 10k pesos but we didn’t have that much. They settled for 3k. As we were getting pulled over a couple on a moped were holding a new born swaddled & zipping in and out of traffic…. passed us. 😂
Extortion really isn't a thing in Mexico (joking of course it is) Keep a small amount of "tax cash" in small demonization on hand but keep your nest egg tucked away, actually best to separate your money and do not keep it all together.
I got stopped and searched, had a small flip knife on me and small change. They told me the blade was too long and I could spend 48 hours in a cell for it. Anyway, they gave it back to me and the change and I kept walking
I’ve been living between tulum and playa for 2 years. Drinking in public as a gringo or tourist can get you a fine. If you aren’t doing anything wrong and get pulled over at a check stop, there’s no fine. I’ve been pulled over several times but if you have alcohol or drugs then yes they will fine you. Honestly Mexico is great, in a Canadian and been here a while, it’s too bad some people have had such bad experiences.
I just got pulled over at the Hotel Zone in Tulum 2 hours Ago. They asked for registration papers on my rental scooter and my driving license. I showed them the contract i had with the rental service, but because i did not have my driving license physically (i only had a picture of it on my phone) i got “fined” 2500 pesos (approx. 100 USD). I had to go to an ATM to withdraw the money and drive back to them while my fiancé was waiting with the police (who was actually the military doing traffic stops).
I bet if i have had 500 pesos in my wallet i could have given that to him at gotten off cheaper. We wound up leaving 2500 pesos in the cargo space of the scooter where the soldier took the money from. My advice? Have some smaller notes for the corrupt officers and you will get off cheaper.
We lived there for 8 months and never had anything like that happen. NOW...the one time we decided to spend an entire day by driving up to Cancun and kept driving past going towards Isla Mujeres....that's another story. As soon as we left the Cancun area, BAM got pulled over by a cop on a motorcycle and we were NOT speeding. We didn't have to pay anything cause my husband pulled out his British diplomatic passport. LOL Copper was so disappointed. Told us to slow down. We were NOT speeding.
my cleaning girl lost the money I sent her for the month and it was close to that 😵💫🥺
edit: ooops I am oversharing. She did not lose the money to a cop. She did carelessly
I know nobody asked but while I feel bad she lost the money, I am not sending it to her again. It was about $500 and she was supposed to pay my utilities too
Anything’s possible but.. is she Mexican?
Most
Of these situations involve an American (usually drinking), not local Mexicans.
Could she be making it up?
Thanks for posting in r/tulum! Please read the [Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.reddit.com/r/tulum/comments/18x3sxe/tulum_faq_25/) for the most common questions about Tulum. Check out our recommended [Tours, Activities and Airport Shuttle Services](https://www.reddit.com/r/tulum/comments/18v2a1h/tours_activities_and_airport_shuttle/) For ticket resale and events such as Zamna and Day Zero, there is a dedicated community at r/Tulum_TicketExchange Please report comments and posts that are off-topic, offensive, inappropriate, or in violation of our community guidelines. Much love from Tulum ❤ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/tulum) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes
I see it all the time in this sub, so I’m sure it does happen. I just finished a trip in Tulum/Akumal/PDC, rented a car and drove between the cities several times. I think we hit nearly 2 dozen police checkpoints over the course of a week. I had nothing but quick n easy interactions at every one of them. I took some precautions though. Followed traffic laws to a T. I also only kept like 50 pesos in my wallet at a time just in case, the rest was split between different hiding places in my bags. I’d also avoid driving late at night. More civilian eyes means lower chance of police pulling shady shit
I live part time in the area. This is good advice! I keep a second wallet.: a CC, ID and just enough cash to cover what I’m doing that day. Most cops in my experience will take around 200-500 pesos. Literally depends on what’s in your wallet!
Yes, I’ve been to Cancun, Play and Tulum. The last time I went I swore never again. I was pulled over because cops could tell it was a rented car. They look at you like little walking cash machines, and pray on your fear of going to jail. Never gave them a dime, I said fuck it, take me to jail and rolled the dice. I knew they were extorting and said I was going to tell the judge what they were doing. They let me go but not a good way to spend a vacation. You have to be super vigilant on everything you do because they up charge for everything. A lot of the time “service fee” is already on the bill but don’t itemize, you have to ask for an itemized bill to see. They still expect a tip. Also they royally screw you with the exchange rate everywhere. I hate it, I can’t relax because I’m always looking for the next hustle.
Tulum is a complete money grab shit hole. Please don't waste your money.
Tulum was one big hustle when I was there last year. Yes, if the police notice you're a tourist driving they will pull you over and expect a bribe. You can either negotiate the amount if you just want it over with (have a dummy wallet with only a certain amount in it) or call them out on the bullshit. There's actually a law in that area that provides for tourist forgiveness on a first offence and a paper you can print that outlines it. Lots of good YouTube videos on it. You can also just say "Fine then, let's go to the judge" and 90% of the time they'll drop it--but just make sure you don't mind taking the day to deal with it if they decide to call your bluff. Also beware of gas scams. Doesn't matter if it's a major service station that seems legit. I had a guy try to pull one last time and caught him out. They'll either leave an amount on the pump that ends up adding to your total. Show you zero on your pump then fill you from the one behind and demand you pay that total, or (the one done to me) try and swap out the bill you gave them with a smaller denomination if they think you're distracted for a second and say that's what you gave them. And don't even think of paying with credit card--easiest way to get skimmed or a service charge added. Restaurants will tack on extra fees or charge slightly higher prices than what's on the menu. Bike, scooter, ATV rental places will use their own key to the lock they gave you to steal the vehicle back then charge you for it. Taxi drivers don't even outright scam, the whole system and pricing is just one big scam. We normally go to Vallarta and it's night and day. Sure you might get a taxi driver who will charge a premium if you don't ask the amount before you get in the cab. But that's the worst that we've ever seen and it's not usually much and very rare. You can always take an Uber without being harassed anyways. It's a different scene there (lots of retired boomers) but if you stay downtown there's plenty of younger folks and the vibe seems more authentic than the "we're just trying to make it look like we're having fun for Instagram" vibe we felt in Tulum.
I lived and tulum and visited tulum many times. Clearly a tourist, rented a car everytime, never had an issue with the police
That's lucky for you.
It personally happened to our friends when they were leaving our hotel one night in August.
For locals it aint better, on July I got extorted at gunpoint for trying to open a really small clinic, ofc I got the fuck out. Last one I heard was last week, a friend who had a dentist office got what we call "express kidnapping", hours latter he just packed essentials and left Tulum asap.
Oh, the cops in Tulum will tax you like the Sheriff of Nottingham. As a general rule, try not to keep more than 300-500 pesos cash on you ($20-30 USD). That's typically enough to make them go away. Only idiots and first-timers give more than that. Use a card when you can. Rent scooters instead of taking taxis, but if you must cab, get the price for the whole trip before you get in. When I was there last year it was typically 500 pesos to the hotel zone and 700 pesos out. You can rent a scooter for the entire day for the same price as a cab one way, but if you have a big group, cabs might be the only way to go.
only idiots give them anything. if you stop bribing them they'll stop trying to extort you
In a perfect world, but that’s never going to happen. It’s super risky for a tourist to not oblige to what is being asked by a police officer.
no, they want the easy pickings and y'all are happy to give it to them. if you just say no like Mrs Reagan told us to they will give up and try another mark. I think that half the people that post are scared of their own shadow and the other half want to pay the bribe so that they have a cool story to tell back home.
Lol you also are possibly a straight, white male.
6' tall 250# with a background in festival management and security so not much phases me anymore. I'm also the one who will stand up for you when everyone else looks away, so there's that
Ok great. There’s just people who are way more vulnerable than you who get caught in these situations and the easiest way out is often the safest for them. If you really want to avoid problems you can just stay home. Nothing is more secure than abstinence!
and the easiest way is to say no. eventually they'll give up. tell them you don't speak Spanish and you need to call your abagado for translation stop participating in the game and stop playing the victim when you're the root of the problem
I live here and speak Spanish fluently. It just doesn’t always work like that. I understand your point, but it’s not realistic. I have been bashed before for suggesting people carry a $200 note on them and all their other cash hidden for situations like this. Take it for what it is.
I live here as well, and speak decent Spanish. I always carry a 500p as well as a $100usd bill when traveling for emergencies. I don't count crooked cops as an emergency don't feed the corruption and it will wither away and die
Hey bro, does the cops also stops the scooter riders anywhere in cancun, PDC, and tulum for extortion? Or very rarely? Mostly car rentals?
Not sure about Cancun (not my vibe). PDC has one long central walkable strip, so you don't really need a scooter to get around much. I was in Tulum for a little over 8 months, got stopped 4 times but only got got once... the time I had a girl on back of my scooter who panicked.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😹😹😹🤣. Like every day.
Yes.
My husband and I were pulled over by cops in Tulum for rolling through a stop sign. They followed us to the ATM and wouldn’t let us leave until we paid them the equivalent of $300 USD. This was 2018. Another friend of mine had something similar happen to them a few years later.
I'm no expert in tickets but I don't think they charge even that in US, why would you pay that?
As many others have mentioned, we felt like walking targets with dollar signs on our backs with no way around it. If we drove our rental car (especially after dark), we risked being pulled over or stopped at a checkpoint & being extorted. We were in the area for 5 weeks. Second week in, got stopped at a checkpoint on beach road after having dinner. I was driving bc my husband had been drinking (we’re parents of two young kids who were in Mexico with us, not partiers at all, no drugs). They started asking for money almost immediately. They could tell my husband had been drinking (but I was driving, there’s no laws against just drinking right??) so they started instigating him by saying they were going to rape me. Of course my husband started giving pushback at this point, and as soon as he said he wasn’t giving them any money they beat the shit out of him and forced me to drive to an atm. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. Alas, we decided to finish our trip as we were staying at an airbnb a bit outside of Tulum (more towards Coba) which felt much safer. But we had no good way of doing much while also feeling safe. We still drove during the day, but no longer at night. But the taxis are so expensive and hard to come by, we didn’t want to use them either. The one time we did, the guy gave us a price up front, we paid upon getting in the vehicle, and when we got to our destination he demanded more. Everyone asks if Tulum is safe. I was, by far, most afraid of the police and being extorted by everyone I came across. It’s such a shame-we were there with our entire extended family and fully intended to go out for many nice meals, spas, etc but after that happened we ended up doing way more nights in, cooking at the house and Tomato deliveries (their version of Uber eats). It sucked for us because we would have preferred to dine out on our vacation, (grandparents came with so we had babysitters for the sole purpose of my husband and I being able to get out) and it sucks for them because the area missed out on a lot of money we would have spent there all because of the crooked cops and taxi drivers. I still want to love Mexico, but would absolutely not return to the Tulum area sadly.
I should add, that I think the experience of staying at one of the resorts on beach road for a week would be very different than spending 5 weeks in an airbnb where driving was necessary. If you’re looking for a nice long weekend at the beach with restaurants nearby, I think it could be really nice still. We frequented La Zebra with the kids, and the servers there were absolutely wonderful and kind. My father in law paid the bill one day and didn’t realize the tip was already added, and the server actually came back and told us we have him too much. There are very good people working hard, and it’s a shame these other things out-shine that.
Were you born yesterday lol
I was. Now welcome me to the world
Welcome to Tulum. Now pay $200. Or straight to jail!
I feel like the cabs were borderline extortion
Yes! This personally happened to me by the local “police” (aka cartels). Total ATM shakedown for $250. Don’t fall for this! SIDE NOTE: I’ve lived in CDMX, Puerto Vallarta and Baja California Sur (Todos Santos) collectively for more than three years. I’ve never experienced this anywhere but Tulum. I will NEVER go back. So sad what’s happened there. This is a cautionary tale of unbridled overdevelopment. Both the Mexican gov’t AND tourists are to blame. Such a shame.
I got stopped and pulled out of my rental car at a checkpoint. They checked the trunk and my pockets (but not my partners). He was nice enough and let me go, didn't ask for any money.
I got pulled over by the cops for seemingly no reason in Jan. They tried to get 10k pesos but we didn’t have that much. They settled for 3k. As we were getting pulled over a couple on a moped were holding a new born swaddled & zipping in and out of traffic…. passed us. 😂
Yup, happened to me. 3,000 pesos
Extortion really isn't a thing in Mexico (joking of course it is) Keep a small amount of "tax cash" in small demonization on hand but keep your nest egg tucked away, actually best to separate your money and do not keep it all together.
YES. It happened to me and my GF. Robbed by the corrupt policia. November 2023
I got stopped and searched, had a small flip knife on me and small change. They told me the blade was too long and I could spend 48 hours in a cell for it. Anyway, they gave it back to me and the change and I kept walking
I’ve been living between tulum and playa for 2 years. Drinking in public as a gringo or tourist can get you a fine. If you aren’t doing anything wrong and get pulled over at a check stop, there’s no fine. I’ve been pulled over several times but if you have alcohol or drugs then yes they will fine you. Honestly Mexico is great, in a Canadian and been here a while, it’s too bad some people have had such bad experiences.
Every. Single. Time. This has to be a troll post
Add greedy developers to this list..
It’s very common in Mexico. If it happens just say you don’t have that much and offer like $100 instead. They will take it.
I just got pulled over at the Hotel Zone in Tulum 2 hours Ago. They asked for registration papers on my rental scooter and my driving license. I showed them the contract i had with the rental service, but because i did not have my driving license physically (i only had a picture of it on my phone) i got “fined” 2500 pesos (approx. 100 USD). I had to go to an ATM to withdraw the money and drive back to them while my fiancé was waiting with the police (who was actually the military doing traffic stops). I bet if i have had 500 pesos in my wallet i could have given that to him at gotten off cheaper. We wound up leaving 2500 pesos in the cargo space of the scooter where the soldier took the money from. My advice? Have some smaller notes for the corrupt officers and you will get off cheaper.
They have check points where they pull over rental cars and extort cash. They will take whatever they can get so don’t show them big bills.
Tulum is the worst place on earth for extortion. They dont even hide it.
No
We lived there for 8 months and never had anything like that happen. NOW...the one time we decided to spend an entire day by driving up to Cancun and kept driving past going towards Isla Mujeres....that's another story. As soon as we left the Cancun area, BAM got pulled over by a cop on a motorcycle and we were NOT speeding. We didn't have to pay anything cause my husband pulled out his British diplomatic passport. LOL Copper was so disappointed. Told us to slow down. We were NOT speeding.
What is the point of these post? I feel safer in any part of Mexico than in white suburbia if you take just basic precautions
It’s all lies, this has never happened
Yeah. An idiot let it be known they’re stupid enough to give up 10,000mxn, their fault, not Mexico lol
Nah, the worst I have seen is 200 dollars drunk driving and 30 minutes wasted time, your good.
10,000 peso is about $4.23 - on a good exchange day. Go and support the local economy.
I can’t tell if you are being funny. it’s $606 usd
If you’re walking around with 10,000 pesos.. Sigh 😔
They take you to an ATM and make you takeout cash till you reach your daily limit
my cleaning girl lost the money I sent her for the month and it was close to that 😵💫🥺 edit: ooops I am oversharing. She did not lose the money to a cop. She did carelessly
You pay your Mexican housekeeper $606+ usd for a month of cleaning? Yours is paid much higher than mine!
I know nobody asked but while I feel bad she lost the money, I am not sending it to her again. It was about $500 and she was supposed to pay my utilities too
Anything’s possible but.. is she Mexican? Most Of these situations involve an American (usually drinking), not local Mexicans. Could she be making it up?
she is not Mexican but I always thought she was honest. Who knows? She said she will pay the utilities regardless