Destruction and Scams! World Cup Tourists Sink Condos into Million-Dollar Debts

Just a few months ago, greed blinded thousands of property owners. They evicted entire families, canceled long-term contracts, and bought catalog furniture to turn their apartments into mini-hotels to rent for thousands of dollars during the 2026 World Cup. They rubbed their hands together, expecting to get rich in 30 days.

Today, the World Cup hangover has hit hard, and the reality is brutal: their greed is costing them their assets. The short-term rental fever has caused a catastrophe in the Facility Management of the buildings, and international scammers have found their perfect victims.

1. The "Ghost Guest" Fraud (The Chargeback)

Hundreds of owners in exclusive areas celebrated when they received full-month bookings paid in dollars. The problem is that many of these "tourists" were actually cybercriminal gangs operating from abroad.

The modus operandi is lethal: the scammer books using stolen or cloned credit cards. They arrive at the apartment, throw massive parties (even subletting the space for events to other people), and leave. Weeks later, the real owner of the card reports the fraud. The rental platforms and banks issue a chargeback (they forcibly withdraw the money from the Mexican owner's account). The landlord is left without the thousands of dollars, with no one to claim against, and with an apartment that looks like a war zone.

2. The "Hooligan Effect" and the Elevator Collapse

Residential condos are collapsing under the weight of mass tourism. A group of eight intoxicated fans does not take care of an apartment the way a local family would.

• Destroyed Walls and Choked Pipes: Plumbing networks are collapsing because tourists throw improper objects down the toilets. The cost of opening walls to unclog the main pipe falls on the owner.

• The Death of the Elevator: This is the most terrifying expense. Groups jumping inside the cabins, vomiting on the rails, and forcing the doors are burning out the motherboards of the elevators. Repairing a state-of-the-art Schindler or Kone elevator easily exceeds 800,000 pesos.

3. The Revenge of the Homeowners' Associations

The neighbors who actually live in the building and had to endure the noise, the thefts, and the wear and tear of their property are not going to sit idly by. Across the country, condo administrations are enforcing internal regulations with an iron fist.

They are documenting all tourist infractions on video and applying astronomical fines to the owners of those apartments for "improper change of land use" and "damage to common infrastructure." Many greedy landlords are discovering that the HOA fines are higher than what they earned renting the apartment. If they refuse to pay, the assembly proceeds to place a lien on the property.