Ponzi‐Style Projects Topple Mexican Caribbean Real Estate Boom

A Bloomberg investigation uncovers how unsustainable “real estate Ponzi schemes” in Tulum have left over 200 investors with incomplete developments and empty promises, highlighting the urgent need for audits and stronger industry oversight.

For years, the turquoise shores of Mexico’s Caribbean coast have drawn buyers seeking sun-soaked returns. But a March 2025 Bloomberg exposé has revealed a darker truth: at least 200 international investors have lost their life savings to beach-front projects that were never meant to rise above the sand. The culprit, experts say, is a proliferation of “real . . .