An Ontario couple says they transferred C$280,000 into a Mexico condo investment after first being promised keys to one unit, then being pitched on a larger seven-condo flip in Playa del Carmen.
Cindy Thompson first sent C$170,000 for a one-bedroom condo in the Taak Maya development, according to CBC News. When the keys did not arrive, she says the money was rolled into a new proposal involving seven units in the same building.
Her partner, Glenn Brown, then added C$110,000 from his retirement savings. The couple says no condo was delivered, the larger deal never closed, and none of the C$280,000 was returned.
Mexican authorities are now examining the complaint. No criminal charge, repayment order, or court finding has been announced, and the allegations have not been proven.
The First C$170,000 Was for One Condo
Mexican authorities probe alleged scam that wiped out Canadian couple’s retirement savings | CBC News https://t.co/ukXoiBrCDs
— Naomi Sayers 💕 (@kwetoday) July 23, 2026
Thompson, who lives with Brown in Curve Lake, Ontario, found XMEX Investments while searching online for Mexican real estate opportunities in late 2024. CBC reported that the website advertised bank-held properties at prices described as more than 30% below market value.
She traveled to Playa del Carmen in October 2024 and met British national Harry Robinson. He introduced her to Jacqueline Herrera Herrera, his Mexican business partner. Documents reviewed by CBC identified Robinson and Herrera as co-owners of Xen Investments, the Mexican company that later received the couple’s money.
Herrera showed Thompson a one-bedroom unit in the Taak Maya development. Thompson visited the building but did not enter the specific condo because Robinson said he did not have the keys.
The Keys Were Supposed To Arrive Within Months
Thompson transferred C$170,000 in two payments in November and December 2024. The money went to a Mexican HSBC account associated with Xen Investments, and the purchase agreement appeared on Xen letterhead and was signed by Robinson, according to CBC.
Thompson said she was told she would receive the condo keys within two or three months. When she returned to Playa del Carmen in March 2025, the unit was still unavailable. In a WhatsApp message reviewed by CBC, Robinson described the issue as a minor delay and continued assuring her that the transaction was moving forward.
The Stalled Condo Became a Seven-Unit Pitch
After the first unit did not close, Robinson allegedly proposed moving Thompson’s C$170,000 into a larger transaction involving seven condos in the same development. The pitch was not that C$170,000 would buy all seven units outright. CBC reported that Robinson said the units could be acquired for US$100,000 each and resold for US$250,000 each.
That meant the proposed seven-unit purchase would require far more money than Thompson had already sent. Her C$170,000 was presented as money already inside the deal, and Brown later added C$110,000 from his retirement savings. He signed a share-purchase agreement with Xen Investments, and his money went to the same Mexican HSBC account.
The couple said they viewed the proposal as a way to support their retirement. Instead, the larger deal also failed to produce keys, ownership, resale proceeds, or a refund.
The Seven-Condo Deal Never Closed
Thompson and Brown said they were later told that another investor had died, creating a financial shortfall that prevented the seven-unit purchase from closing. No units were delivered, and the couple says the full C$280,000 was not returned.
Robinson later told Thompson that Herrera controlled the Xen Investments bank account and removed the money after it arrived, according to CBC. He filed his own complaint against Herrera in Mexico in 2025 and maintained that he had also been victimized.
Thompson and Brown’s criminal complaint identifies both Robinson and Herrera in connection with the missing funds. Robinson told CBC he could not comment because the matter was before the Mexican legal system, while Herrera did not respond to the outlet’s attempts to reach her.
Mexican Authorities Are Examining the Complaint
Thompson and Brown hired a Mexican lawyer and filed a criminal complaint, but they said the case initially made little progress. The allegations received additional attention after a CBC journalist raised the matter with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum during a press conference in late June 2026.
The government of Quintana Roo Gov. Mara Lezama contacted the couple shortly afterward, and authorities in the state began examining the case. Thompson told CBC the experience had consumed her, while Brown said the loss had changed their retirement plans.
Foreign Property Deals Need Independent Verification
The Government of Canada warns that Mexican real estate agents are not licensed or regulated and that disputes involving property purchases or other investments can be costly and slow to resolve. It advises Canadians buying property or investing in Mexico to seek legal advice in both Canada and Mexico, choose their own lawyer, and avoid hiring a lawyer recommended by the seller.
Before sending money, a buyer should have an independent Mexican lawyer verify the seller’s authority, the exact unit, registry records, title status, liens, purchase agreement, escrow terms, refund rights, and whether the company receiving the money actually owns the property or has a valid right to sell it.
For housing sold by developers, builders, or promoters, Mexico’s consumer-protection agency, PROFECO, says real estate sellers must register standard-form purchase contracts. Buyers can check whether the company’s contract is registered and whether the registration details match the seller, project, and document being presented.
Large Transfers Should Not Rely on Promises
Cross-border property buyers should be cautious when a deal moves from one promised unit into a larger investment, especially if the new proposal depends on future resale profits, unnamed investors, or money being wired directly to a company account instead of a controlled escrow arrangement.
Buyers should save advertisements, WhatsApp messages, emails, contracts, wire records, bank account details, corporate records, property registry documents, unit numbers, photos, lawyer letters, refund promises, and every version of the investment pitch.
If a foreign property deal begins to fail, buyers should contact an independent local lawyer quickly, preserve the paper trail, file any required complaint before leaving the country if they are already there, and contact the nearest Canadian consular office for guidance on local reporting steps.