Common myth: You'll be kidnapped in Mexico - not true!

There was a time when this was likely — when kidnappers targeted foreigners and the wealthy. Those days are long over because said kidnappers have come to realise that such people have friends and family likely to cause trouble (like, say, alerting authorities, notifying media and contacting governments). Kidnapping is a significant — and growing — issue and, really, industry, in Mexico at the moment. Likely, the problem is even greater than statistics show, given that experts think it is a crime that often goes unreported. That's because these days the victims are shopkeepers, taxi drivers, service employees, parking attendants and taco vendors that often work in cash or in Mexico's "informal" economy; people with quick access to cash that are unlikely to cause problems. As a foreigner and a tourist, you and your family are not so appealing, no offense. But … know where you're going and don't flag down a taxi on the street.