Looking for love in all the wrong places could be a fatal mistake in Colombia, the U.S. Embassy there is warning Americans.
The South American nation is rated as a Level 3 country in terms of safety, according to the State Department — one step away from a warning not to travel there at all.
“Reconsider travel due to crime and terrorism. Exercise increased caution due to civil unrest and kidnapping. Some areas have increased risk,” the State Department warned on its website.
The embassy offered more warnings.
“U.S. Embassy Bogota is aware of eight suspicious deaths of private U.S. citizens in Medellin between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023. The deaths appear to involve either involuntary drugging overdose or are suspected homicides,” the embassy wrote on its website.
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Although the warning said the cases do not appear linked, “several of the deaths point to possible drugging, robbery, and overdose, and several involve the use of online dating applications.”
Violent deaths in Colombia “increased 200 percent in the third trimester of 2023 compared to the previous year, and violent deaths of foreign visitors increased 29 percent. Most of the 2023 violent death victims were U.S. citizens,” the embassy warned.
Using a dating app in Colombia might result in more than just a bad time, the embassy warned.
“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,” the embassy said.
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The warning said such crimes have increased in the past year, noting that reports have emerged from Medellin, Cartagena, and Bogota.
“These types of crimes routinely go underreported as victims are embarrassed and do not want to follow through with the judicial process,” the warning said.
“U.S. citizens should be vigilant, maintain heightened situational awareness, and incorporate strong personal security practices into their activities,” the warning said.
US Embassy issues security alert, warns of deaths involving ‘online dating applications’ in Colombia https://t.co/RpguVwXwHt
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The warning said that if travelers want to meet a stranger, they should find a public place or have the stranger vetted as best a hotel can.
The embassy also suggested that if heading out for a date, travelers should inform family members or friends because victims often have phones stolen that are the only record of any dating connections.
“Do not physically resist any robbery attempt. Victims of crime who resist robbery are more likely to be killed,” the warning said.
The website MedellinAdvisors reported that during 2022, robberies in the city rose 20 percent, totaling 28,142 incidents.
