Nuevo Nayarit, Nayarit, October 21, 2026 — A fake Paradise Village reservation cost a complainant about 27,000 pesos, according to a report describing repeated payment demands.
The account raises a practical question for travelers, including residents helping visiting family arrange accommodation: How can they verify a reservation before sending money, especially when someone insists another payment is necessary?
According to the report, the supposed booking became entangled in a refund process. Those requesting payment claimed earlier transfers had incorrect amounts or codes, then demanded additional deposits.
The complainant reportedly made several transfers of nearly 9,000 pesos each through SPEI, Mexico’s interbank payment system. The pressure included threats of a 100% penalty and cancellation of a supposed refund, alongside a fictitious hold of 26,987.16 pesos.
The complainant eventually contacted the real hotel, which found no reservation in its system.
The report identifies its source as a citizen complaint. No public criminal complaint record or case-specific hotel statement was located to independently corroborate that account.
The hotel does, however, publish security guidance that reveals a significant detail about the reported payment instructions.
A security notice on Paradise Village’s official website identifies its legitimate hotel-prepayment account as being at Banamex, under Conjunto Desarrollo Marina Mar S.A. de C.V.
The similar business name makes checking the receiving bank and full account details particularly relevant. Recognizing a company name on payment instructions is insufficient to establish that the request came from the hotel.
The same notice provides another straightforward check.
“We do not have a WhatsApp account,” the hotel states in its Spanish-language guidance. It also says it does not process reservations through WhatsApp or SMS. That is a general policy, not a response to this particular complaint; the published account does not explain how the initial contact occurred.
For direct bookings, Paradise Village identifies paradisevillage.com as its English-language website and paradisevillage.com.mx as its Spanish-language site. Its listed direct hotel reservations number is +52 322 226 8850.
The hotel also identifies TravelClick and ReservHotel as booking partners. The resort’s official website lets travelers access those services through links supplied by the hotel.
Before transferring money, ask the reservations department to confirm the guest’s name, travel dates, room category, reservation number, and payment instructions. Obtain the contact details independently of the person requesting payment.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s guidance on travel website scams recommends typing the real company’s address into the browser instead of following links in unexpected emails or text messages. Fraudulent messages can use familiar hotel branding.
The consequence of skipping that independent check has appeared elsewhere. Vallarta Daily’s July 2025 reporting on fake hotel websites in Cancún described a traveler arriving at a property only to discover that the reservation did not exist.
When money has already been sent, another demand to correct a payment should prompt a pause. Mexico’s financial consumer protection agency, CONDUSEF, recommends stopping further deposits, contacting the bank immediately, and preserving messages, receipts, telephone numbers, and other evidence.
A claim that an earlier transfer failed can also be checked independently. Banco de México’s SPEI tracking and electronic receipt service allows users to check a payment using its date, tracking information, and participating banks. To obtain the electronic receipt, you also need the beneficiary account and amount.
That receipt can establish that money reached a recipient’s account. Confirmation that a room is reserved must come separately from the hotel.
