Cuando entre una <4. A pamphlet disNo pasar tamadas Hamada Antes de pasar tributed to Cozumel | | de manera directa solicitando ser la llamada a la es comunicado a un habitacién, hotels explaining cuarto, how to screen phone (Aunque aseguren ser

calls in order to keep guests safe.

un farnfiar o de ta ofcina)

Translation:

Panel 1: Do not put direct calls straight through to the room; if your telephone system is automatic, change it. Do not put direct calls through.

Panel 2. When a call comes in asking to be connected to a room, ask who the caller is looking for and who is calling. Never give out information about the guest.

Panel 3. Before connecting a call to a room (even if the caller assures you he/she is a relative or calling from the office), inform the guest who is calling and ask if he/she wants to take said call. Verify with the guest.

“T called them, and they told me to go to another hotel, which I did,” Ramirez said. “They told me to get a room, don’t talk to the attendant, turn on the television, and keep the phone on my chest. They kept calling me every 10 minutes and also called my wife. They told her if she didn’t send them a million dollars they’d break my legs and kill me.

“On Monday morning, they instructed me to go to a bank and take out $10,000. They said they had people in the bank. The bank would only let me draw 10,000 pesos on my credit card (about $700), but I got that and then deposited it toward several different cell-phone numbers at the cell-phone store.

“Then they had me go to another small motel. I was thinking about running to one of the cruise ships and getting on board. Then the captain would be in control. The whole time I was trying to figure out how I could save myself.”

Back in Henderson, Nevada, the kidnappers called Mrs. Ramirez, who doesn’t speak Spanish. They found a translator and wanted the phone numbers of his son, daughter-in-law, and a cousin in Puerto Rico. They demanded a million-dollar ransom from Mrs. Ramirez and said they would break her husband’s legs and kill him. Mrs. Ramirez called the Henderson Police Department, which sent officers to her home. After the next phone call, the FBI was called in.

According to Special Agent Jae Beasley, the FBI has seen an increase in this type of kidnapping. It’s known as a “virtual kidnapping,” and the kidnappers are never actually there. Fear is created in a different manner. “You don’t know if they are really there or not,” Special Agent Beasley said.

“We don’t know why they picked Mr. Ramirez,” Beasley said, “maybe because he spoke Spanish, maybe because he was traveling alone, maybe because he was older. The fact [is] that from his prior police experience, he knew who the Zetas were; he had an understandable fear of them.

“The FBI has legal attaches around the world that we contact in these situations,” Beasley said. “They know how things work in their countries. On our end, we all have certain areas that we specialize in to help the families.”

Special Agent Beasley would not go into further detail. “As much as we want the public to be aware of virtual kidnappings, we can’t give answers that could compromise our operational techniques.”

From the Flamingo’s perspective

Hotels in Mexico take the safety of their guests seriously. A Flamingo Hotel employee who requests anonymity said via e-mail:

“After the kidnapping, everything was quiet for a bit. Local authorities and media didn’t want to mention this because it was kind of first of its kind, at least the first time I knew about it. Tourism people came to the hotel and talked to the manager, who later talked to the whole staff about the prevention of this situation, which was basically: hang up the phone as soon as the caller can’t answer the simple question of what’s the full name of the guest. Actually, these calls are common in the whole country, but it’s easy to determine which ones are fake calls. Unfortunately, the night guard was not very familiar with this situation, but now he is fully aware of this danger. Tourism secretary and police talked to all the hotel’s management, and they discussed the issues privately with the staff. I personally thought that it was kind of fool[ish] of the guest to get out of the room, but fear is an important fact. Also, you know for sure that these organizations are just a bunch of little rats, they’re not Zetas. Zetas don’t do that stuff. But I also knew it was an error and that the hotel staff should have been prepared for things like that.”

According to Mr. Ramirez, Mexican authorities got a picture of him and went from hotel to hotel until they found him in the middle of the day on December 3.

“Two Mexican agents knocked on my door when I was on the phone with the kidnappers,” Ramirez said. “I thought they were there to beat me up and I cracked the door. When I saw the attendant was there with them, I thought I was OK but still didn’t believe them. They put me on the phone with another agent in Cancun, so I asked what my shield number was from my police days and they had it. Then I left with them but kept looking back.