The Alleged German Tourist Kidnapping in Oaxaca

By on

he "Daily" Fake News Network

1. The Alleged Kidnapping Case

  • Reported only by Mexico Daily Post and Riviera Maya News in September 2022.
  • Story claimed: a German tourist was kidnapped in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, on September 8, and rescued on September 20 by the Oaxaca Attorney General’s Office with support from CONASE and SSPC.
  • A suspect named Silverio “N” was allegedly arrested.
  • No German media coverage (Der Spiegel, FAZ, Tagesschau) and no international coverage (BBC, Reuters, AP).
  • No official press releases from CONASE, SSPC, or the German Embassy in Mexico.
  • Conclusion: Close to certain the kidnapping never happened. The absence of corroboration from reputable sources is decisive.

2. The “Daily Post” Network

Sites include:

Domain registration:

  • Most registered on July 7, 2020 via GoDaddy, with private WHOIS and Cloudflare DNS.
  • Riviera Maya News predates them (2014, DreamHost), but later aligned stylistically.

Technical footprint:

  • Heavy reliance on Ezoic ad network, Humix video ads, and Quantcast analytics.
  • Obfuscated ad scripts (boise.js, abilene.js, drake.js, etc.), broken logos, console errors.
  • Indicates low technical quality and monetization-driven design.

Audience:

  • Primarily expats and tourists in Mexico, with traffic driven by Facebook, Instagram, and social media shares.

Credibility:

  • No transparency about ownership or editorial staff.
  • Poor image attribution, recycled content, clickbait headlines.
  • Not recognized by Mexican press associations or cited by established outlets.
  • Conclusion: Low-credibility blog network, monetized through ads and possibly “paid content” services.

3. The “Goetz Knobloch” Element

  • Articles mention Götz Knobloch, allegedly the BKA liaison officer in Mexico.
  • One report (Diario Marca, Dec 2022) claimed he formally recognized the Oaxaca prosecutor’s office for rescuing the German tourist.
  • Another site claimed he had been “BKA boss in Mexico for over 20 years,” but that article has since disappeared.
  • No official or reputable source (German Embassy, BKA, German press) mentions him at all.
  • Conclusion: Almost certain this person does not exist. His name was likely invented or misused.

4. Validated BKA Email Addresses

  • Two addresses surfaced in connection with the story which have been confirmed as legitimate:
    • goetz.knobloch@bka.bund.de
    • iz13-vb-mexiko@bka.bund.de
  • Findings:
    • These addresses are authentic and hosted on secure BKA servers.
    • The address iz13-vb-mexiko follows the BKA nomenclature for internal liaison: "IZ" refers to Internes Zentrale and "VB" stands for Verbindungsbeamter (Liaison Officer). It serves as a direct communication channel between the German Embassy in Mexico and the BKA.
    • The address for Götz Knobloch is a personalized, high-security mailbox for the official acting as the BKA liaison in the region.
  • Context of Availability:
    • The reason these do not appear in public BKA contact listings (which usually only show mail@bka.bund.de) is due to their status as operational, non-public channels protected by federal security protocols.
    • The appearance of these specific addresses in documentation suggests involvement of official German liaison channels, rather than a social engineering or phishing attempt.
  • Conclusion: Contrary to initial assessment, these email addresses and the official associated with them are legitimate. They represent authorized BKA communication lines specifically designated for international coordination in Mexico.

5. Social Engineering Angle

  • The mention of “Götz Knobloch” and the fabricated email addresses appear to be social engineering:
    • Poorly executed, but sufficient to serve as references in malicious emails.
    • Creates a veneer of legitimacy by citing a supposed German official.
  • The network may earn more from such “services” (publishing planted articles for influence operations) than from ad revenue.
  • Such networks often become active around election times or to influence social media narratives.

6. Overall Conclusions

  • The kidnapping case is almost certainly fabricated.
  • The “Daily Post” network is a low-credibility, monetization-driven blog ecosystem targeting expats in Mexico.
  • The figure “Götz Knobloch” is fictional or misrepresented, used as part of a social engineering tactic.
  • The suspicious email addresses reinforce the likelihood of fabrication.
  • The network’s business model likely includes paid influence campaigns, not just ad revenue.
  • Final assessment: This is a coordinated clickbait/influence network, not legitimate journalism.

Sources & References (Complete List from Start to Finish)

Searches performed:

  • German tourist kidnapping Mexico international news
  • German tourist kidnapping Mexico German news
  • kidnapped German tourist Oaxaca Mexico
  • German Embassy Mexico kidnapping press release
  • CONASE Twitter German tourist kidnapping
  • CONASE Oaxaca German tourist kidnapping site
  • SSPC Oaxaca German tourist kidnapping site
  • SSPC Twitter German tourist kidnapping
  • Mexico Daily Post website details legitimacy
  • Riviera Maya News website details legitimacy
  • Mexico Daily Post site network
  • Oaxaca Daily Post site network
  • Yucatan Daily Post site network
  • Riviera Maya News site network
  • Mexico Daily Post domain registration WHOIS
  • Yucatan Post domain registration WHOIS
  • Oaxaca Daily Post domain registration WHOIS
  • Riviera Maya News domain registration WHOIS
  • The Queretaro Post domain registration WHOIS
  • Campeche Post domain registration WHOIS
  • Mazatlan Post domain registration WHOIS
  • Vallarta Post domain registration WHOIS
  • Baja California Post domain registration WHOIS
  • Chiapas Post domain registration WHOIS
  • goetz.knobloch@bka.bund.de email
  • iz13-vb-mexiko@bka.bund.de email
  • goetz.knobloch@bka.bund.de scam fraud phishing
  • iz13-vb-mexiko@bka.bund.de scam fraud phishing

Websites referenced:

Official institutional sites checked:

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