By Natalia Rueda 
Recently, the United States Embassy in Colombia issued an emergency alert to its citizens who plan on traveling to the country. The alert, dated January 10th, highlighted the increasing risk for Americans in the cities of Medellín, Bogotá, and Cartagena.
According to the alert, in just one month, the Embassy has received news of eight deaths of American tourists in Medellín alone. While the circumstances in each case vary, all appear to involve involuntary drug use or possible homicide. Criminals are suspected of using dating apps to target their victims, leading to assaults, robberies, and even fatalities.
But this issue is not isolated to Medellín. The alert also highlights similar crimes in other important cities, with Americans falling victim to these attacks throughout Colombian territory. The common thread among these incidents? The use of dating applications.
Criminals are reportedly using these platforms to find unsuspecting foreigners and organize meetings in public places. Once trust is established, the victims are lured to a private location where they are robbed and sometimes even killed. Sadly, many of these cases go unreported due to feelings of shame or the reluctance to start legal proceedings.
The recent cases mentioned in the Embassy’s alert only scratch the surface of this growing problem. Marcel Petreanu was murdered in Medellín’s La Florida neighborhood for resisting a robbery. In Manila neighborhood, Hewett Jeffrey Hutson was also killed in an apartment he rented through a lodging app. And Phillip Ryan Mullins was found dead in a hotel in Medellín’s Parque Lleras neighborhood due to an alleged overdose.
The Embassy’s alert also notes that the number of robberies and murders against foreign tourists has risen by a staggering 200% and 29%, respectively, compared to the previous year. This alarming statistic serves as a wake-up call for both American citizens and Colombian authorities to address this pressing issue.
While Colombia’s tourism industry has experienced a significant growth in recent years, this influx of visitors also brings with it a responsibility to ensure the safety of all travelers. The United States Embassy’s alert serves as a reminder that caution must be exercised, especially when using dating apps and meeting strangers in unfamiliar places.