Going to Mexico? Don't list your trip details on Facebook

If you're planning on going to Mexico for a vacation, it's not a good idea to blog about it or post your plans on Facebook. According to one Mexican-American friend with friends, family and economic ties in both countries, kidnappers are now monitoring the Facebook pages of their targeted families.

Published reports from Mexican newspapers detail how gangs are using the social media outlet as an intelligence resource for profiling their victims, he said. A search of Google News didn't have anything of substance, but I think that the news portal can't read Spanish outlets.

So, if you are a typical Gringo, it's probably not a good idea to tell others about a trip to Mexico for business or family reasons. As someone who lives only 175 miles away from the border, having this kind of threat concerns me. I see a lot of Mexican executives relocating families in north San Antonio. It's only a matter of time before some kidnapper targets a family member here to raise a significant ransom.