Infonavit Rocked by Corruption Scandal: Workers’ Savings Stolen in Massive Fraud Scheme
The Infonavit, Mexico’s housing fund for workers, has been shaken by a massive corruption scandal involving the repeated sale of properties, with workers being defrauded out of a significant portion of their savings.
The Scheme Unveiled
According to Octavio Romero Oropeza, the director general of Infonavit, the fraudulent mechanism involved a network comprising Infonavit workers, notaries, law firms, and property valuers. The scheme targeted unsuspecting workers, coercing them to hand over at least 40% of their housing fund savings.
"Many workers aren’t aware they have this money, and there are ‘coyotes’ who exploit their ignorance," Romero revealed. "They say, ‘I’ll get your Infonavit money for you, or else the government will take it.’ They trick the worker, saying, ‘Sure, I’ll get your money, but I’ll take 30 or 40% of it.’"
How the Scam Was Discovered
Carlos Martínez Velázquez, the former director of Infonavit, explained that the scheme was first detected in Tlaxcala in 2022. A regional internal control system and local audit units were implemented, leading to the discovery of multiple cases of the same property being sold to different workers, sometimes even from the same company.
Authorities have since uncovered similar cases in at least 21 Mexican states, involving 12,000 credits issued for 1,400 properties—some sold up to four times a year. The total amount defrauded so far is estimated to be over 1,200 million pesos.
Hardest-Hit States
The states with the highest number of fraudulent cases are:
- State of Mexico: 4,130 operations involving 496 properties
- Jalisco: 2,037 credits for 239 properties
- Baja California: 1,696 credits for 205 properties
Consequences and Infonavit‘s Response
Following the discovery of the fraud, Infonavit has dismissed involved officials, suspended complicit notaries, and initiated legal action. The institution has also implemented a one-year restriction on property resale and issued warnings to prevent workers from falling victim to "coyotes."
Infonavit urges workers to use its official channels for any transactions:
- Mi Cuenta Infonavit (online banking)
- Infonavit mobile app
- Infonavit Service Centers
- Infonavit Fairs
- Infonavit Kiosks
- Infonavit Customer Service Line (800 008 3900)
- Infonavit Official Portal (portalmx.infonavit.org.mx)
