After eight tourist deaths – US embassy warns vacationers against dating app

Several holidaymakers have been found dead in Colombia. They actually wanted to get to know the country and its people and fell into a deadly trap.

Medellín – The trip to Colombia ended tragically for a 50-year-old American. The comedian Tou Ger Xiong from Minnesota was first kidnapped and then murdered. The US Embassy in Bogotá is now officially warning tourists about dating apps. His murder in Medellín is not an isolated case.

“Criminals use dating apps to lure victims to meet up at places like hotels, restaurants and bars, then later attack and rob them,” one said Announcement from the US Embassy. And further: “Numerous US citizens in Colombia have been drugged, robbed and even killed by their Colombian dates.”

After eight tourist deaths – US embassy warns vacationers against dating app

The US Embassy reported eight deaths of US citizens between November 1st and December 23rd in Medellín, Colombia. The deaths appear to be either accidental drug overdoses or suspected homicides. Although authorities say the deaths are unrelated, dating apps were used in several cases.

The American met the woman in Medellín over the Internet

Tou Ger Xiong is one of these eight fatalities. During a trip to Medellín, he met a woman on the dating platform Tinder. The 50-year-old was kidnapped during the rendezvous and then killed. The kidnappers forced Xiong loudly CBS call a friend to demand a $2,000 ransom. The ransom was not handed over.

His body was found with stab wounds in a forest. Xiong was probably still trying to escape, according to the newspaper El Colombiano reported. His kidnappers then brutally attacked the 50-year-old with a knife, drove him into the forest and then threw him into a ravine. At the same time, a woman is said to have removed things from the apartment.

Colombia is an extremely dangerous travel destination for foreigners

This murder is one of 27 violent deaths of tourists in Medellín, according to the Colombian newspaper. By the end of October, 49 kidnappings had been reported.

Violence in Colombia is also increasing, according to US authorities. The embassy regularly receives reports of incidents from major cities, including Medellín, Cartagena and Bogota.

• When it comes to thefts and robbed visitors (Venezuelans excluded), the number of those affected increased by 200 percent in the third quarter.
• According to the report, the number of foreign deaths from a violent act rose by 29 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year.

However, the number of unreported cases is high. Many victims would be ashamed and shy away from legal proceedings.

The US Embassy advises its citizens to be careful when using online dating apps in Colombia, including only meeting in a public place, avoiding secluded places and telling friends or family about the planned meeting. “Do not offer physical resistance to a robbery attempt. Crime victims who resist robbery are likely to be killed.”

Anyone planning their vacation for the New Y
ear should find out more about safety risks. A company awards five categories.

Four children, however, survived a plane crash over the Amazon rainforest in Colombia. (ml)