Brutally violent Mexican cartel draining Americans' life savings in complex scam

 The Mexican drug cartel known for horrific public massacres embezzled $40 million from Americans, and stole the life savings of many elderly victims without a drop of blood in 2022, according to FBI data.

This is part of a rapidly evolving timeshare scam run by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) that is becoming more and more complex, and is now estimated to be stealing millions from Americans every year.

It began as a small operation in the Puerto Vallarta area and expanded to popular tourist destinations such as Cancún, according to the U.S. Treasury, which issued sanctions last April against seven fugitives and 19 Mexican companies linked to the scam.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in November, "CJNG uses extreme violence and intimidation to control timeshare networks, often targeting elderly American citizens and potentially defrauding victims of their life savings. " “Treasury is committed to the Administration's whole-of-government effort to disrupt CJNG's revenue sources and ability to traffic deadly drugs like fentanyl, in coordination with our partners in Mexico.”

The Courier Journal followed a decade-long journey through the cartel's layered scheme, which cost one person just $1.8 million.

The initial attraction was the good profits from their timeshare. After being scammed for years, the cartel came back with the promise of reimbursement from a class action lawsuit filed by a seemingly legitimate Mexican lawyer who kept the man on the hook.

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The callers, who news reports said spoke perfect, accent-free English, continued their relentless pursuit for decades, remaining silent for years.

According to the Courier Journal, by the end of the situation involving just this one victim, there were 99 wire transfers, more than 150 people involved and at least 12 Mexican bank accounts.

"It's almost like an addiction," said Stephan, who asked the Louisville newspaper to identify him only by his first name because he didn't want his employer to know. "I kept thinking the next person would help me out of this."

Cartel scams come under FBI radar

The FBI said in a March 2023 warning that timeshare owners in Mexico are being targeted at an alarming rate.

In 2022, the bureau received more than 600 complaints from victims contacted by scammers in Mexico, with losses amounting to approximately $39.6 million in 2022.

The FBI did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment and updated information.

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"Sales representatives often use high-pressure sales tactics to add a sense of urgency to a deal," the FBI said. “Timeshare owners who agree to sell are told they must pay an upfront fee to cover anything from listing and advertising fees to closing costs.

"Once the fees are paid, timeshare owners report that the company becomes evasive – calls go unanswered, numbers are disconnected, and websites become inaccessible, or the company charges additional fees. which the victims have to pay before the real estate transaction is finalized."

Years go by, and some victims — like Stephen's case, which was detailed in the Courier Journal report — find scammers behaving as if they're from fake recovery companies or attorneys promising compensation.

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A month after the FBI warning – on April 27, 2023 – the US Treasury imposed its first of three sanctions over a seven-month period as part of a federal crackdown on the cartel scam.

Last November, the Treasury struck the cartel's fraud network for a third time, imposing new sanctions against three Mexican criminals and 13 Mexican companies, bringing the total to 40.

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The sanctions froze US-based assets and banned US citizens and businesses from dealing with any listed companies and fugitives.

Many of the targets of the sanctions are located in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, one of the CJNG's strategic strongholds for drug trafficking.

"The CJNG cartel, a major trafficker of narcotics such as fentanyl illegal in the United States, generates substantial revenue to fund its multifaceted criminal enterprise through its timeshare fraud network," Yellen said in a November 2023 statement.

WATCH: Video of shootout between cartels and Mexican authorities