Mexico Agriculture Secretariat Alerts Producers to Fraudulent Sponsorship Scams

Mexico's Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development (Agricultura) is taking a firm stance against a sophisticated fraud scheme targeting producers and agri-food industries. The ministry announced it will file criminal complaints against those responsible for circulating fake sponsorship letters, which falsely demand payments of 35,000 pesos.

The fraudulent documents, dated July 27, 2026, and bearing a false folio number AGR-112407, were issued on July 24, 2026. These fake letters solicit deposits from companies for sponsorship or advertising space. The Secretariat emphasized that these deceptive actions aim to tarnish the reputation of the Mexican government and specifically called on producers and industry stakeholders to be vigilant.

Columba López, the head of the Secretariat, stated that no public servant or intermediary is authorized to request money for advertising or inclusion in official documents. She urged the public not to make deposits to private accounts or respond to suspicious requests. The ministry also provided a contact number (55 3871 1000, extension 29144) for reporting such incidents to the Internal Control Body's Denuncias e Investigaciones area.

Agricultura clarified that all official procedures, programs, services, and institutional linkage instruments from the Secretariat, as well as related bodies like Senasica, Cofepris, and Semarnat, are strictly free of charge. They stressed that official communications exclusively use the "gob.mx" domain, unequivocally denying the validity of any purported "Institutional Linkage" document sent to companies like Agroecológica Santa Julia S.A. de C.V. or others, falsely signed in the name of the Mexican government.