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Living in Costa Rica is much safer than residing in
most large cities in the United States or Latin America,
but you should take some precautions and use common
sense to ensure your own safety. Remember, you should
be careful in any third-world country.
According to an August edition of USA Today, Costa
Rica is one of the five safest places in the world for women
travelers. Only Amsterdam and Thailand are safer.
In Costa Rica, the rate for violent crimes is very
low, but there is a problem with theft, especially
in the larger cities. If you are from a quiet rural
town in the United States, you will probably find Costa
Rica has more crime. If you are from a large city like
Newark, you will think you are in heaven in Costa Rica.
Thieves tend to look for easy targets, especially
foreigners, so you cannot be too cautious. Make sure
your house or apartment has steel bars on both the
windows and garage. The best bars are narrowly spaced
because some thieves use small children as accomplices,
as they can squeeze through the bars to burglarize
your residence or open doors.
Make sure your neighborhood has a night watchman if
you live in the city. Some male domestic employees
are willing to work in this capacity. However, ask
for references and closely screen any person you hire.
Also, report suspicious people loitering around your
premises. Thieves are very patient and often case a
residence for a long time to observe your comings and
goings. They can and will strike at the most opportune
moment.
You should take added precautions if you live in a
neighborhood where there are many foreigners. Thieves
associate foreigners with wealth and look for areas
where they cluster together. One possible deterrent,
in addition to a night watchman, is to organize a neighborhood
watch group in your area. If you leave town, get a
friend or other trustworthy person to house-sit.
Mountain areas offer some spectacular views and tranquility
but are less populated and usually more isolated. This
makes them prime targets for burglars and other thieves.
We have a friend who moved to a beautiful home in the
hills, but was burglarized a couple of times. Out of
desperation he had to hire a watchman and buy guard
dogs. Unfortunately, a few weeks later he was robbed
while doing an errand in town. This is the down side
to living off the beaten path.
If you are really concerned about protecting your
valuables, you would be better off living in a condominium
complex or an apartment. Both are less susceptible
to burglary due to their design and the fact that,
as the saying goes, there is safety in numbers.
Private home security patrols can provide an alarm
system and patrol your area for a monthly fee. A few
companies here specialize in security systems for the
home and office. Some even offer very sophisticated
monitored surveillance systems. You should contact ADT at
257-7373 if interested in one of these services. We
just installed a complete ADT security system in our
home in Heredia for less than $600.
The National Insurance Institute offers insurance policies
that protect your home against burglary. However, the coverage
is limited to certain items; there are stipulations, a lot
of paperwork involved and there is a 10 percent deductible
on the value of stolen items. All items must be listed as
well as their serial numbers. Premiums run from 1 to 1.5 percent
of the total on the list depending on where you live. Homes
in more secure areas receive the lower rates. Less protected
homes in remote areas have higher rates. If your home is to
be unoccupied for more than 48 hours, it must be placed under
the care of a guard and you must notify the insurance company
one week in advance.
According to world crime statistics the probability
of losing your car in good old safe North America is
a mere 750 percent greater than in Costa Rica. Nevertheless,
if you own an automobile, you should be especially
careful. Thieves can pop open a locked trunk and clean
it out in a few minutes. Make sure your house or apartment
has a garage with iron bars so your car is off the
street.
When parking away from your house, always park in
parking lots or where there is a watchman or cuidacarros.
He will look after your vehicle for 100 colones (about
20 U.S. cents) or whatever change you have handy when
you park on the street. It is not difficult to find
watchmen since they usually approach and offer their
services as soon as you park your car.
Never park your vehicle or walk in a poorly lit area.
Avoid walking alone at night and during the day, and
stay alert for pickpockets. Pickpockets like to hang
around bus stops, parks and crowded marketplaces, especially
the Central Market (between Calles 6 and 8,
Avenidas. 1 and Central).
Here are some safety tips:
- Dress simply.
- Never flaunt your wealth by wearing expensive jewelry or carrying cameras loosely
around your neck because they make you an easy mark
on the street. Keep a good watch on any valuable
items you may be carrying.
- Find a good way to conceal your money and never carry it in your back pocket.
It is best to carry money in front pockets. It is
also a good idea to always carry small amounts of
money in several places rather than all your money
in one place. If you carry large amounts of money,
use traveler's checks.
- Be very discreet with your money. Do not flash large amounts of money in public.
When withdrawing cash at the bank, ask the cashier
to count the money again slowly; it is not advisable
to count it again in front of others. Every time
you finish a transaction in a bank or store, put
away all money in your purse or wallet before going
out into the street. Carry a single credit card and
at least 10,000 colones. Don't carry bank credentials
unless you are thinking of effecting some banking
or another movement
- Don't show your cellular telephone in the street. Should the cellular ring and
you are walking in the street, stick to the wall,
look both ways, answer and ask the person calling
to ring back later.
- Always look at the hands and eyes of anyone walking towards you, if they have
their hands in their pockets, it is possible they
are carrying a weapon.
- Never carry any original documents, such as passports or visas. Make a photocopy
of your passport and carry it with you at all times.
The authorities will accept most photocopies as a
valid form of identification.
Avoid the dangerous parts of San José, especially
the area near the Coca-Cola bus terminal and the Zona
Roja south of Parque Central. Keep alert. Be aware
of who is around you and what they are doing. Thieves
often work in teams. One will distract you while the
other makes off with your valuables. Never accept help
from strangers and or business propositions or other
offers from people you encounter on the street. Never
pick up hitchhikers.
Men should also watch out for prostitutes who are
often expert pickpockets and can relieve the unsuspecting
of their valuables before they realize it. Men, especially
when inebriated or alone, should be careful or
avoid the Gringo Gulch area in the vicinity of
Morazán Park, the Holiday Inn and the Key Largo
Bar. Many muggings have been reported in this area
at night.
If you are a single woman living by yourself, never
walk alone at night. If you do go out at night, be
sure to take a taxi or have a friend go along.
White-collar crime exists in Costa Rica, and a few
dishonest individuals Americans, British, Canadians,
Costa Ricans and other nationalities included are
always waiting to take your money. Just because he
or she speaks good English does not make the individual
a good person. Over the years, many unscrupulous individuals
have set up shop here. We have heard of naive foreigners
losing their hardearned savings to ingenious schemes.
Con men prey on newcomers. One crook bilked countless
people out of their money by selling a series of non-existent
gold mines here and abroad. The guy is still walking
the streets today and dreaming up new ways to make
money.
One dangerous breed of animal you may encounter are a few
foreigners between 30 and 60 years of age who are in business
but do not have pensions. Most such people are struggling
to survive and have to really hustle to make a living in Costa
Rica. In general, they are desperate and will go to almost
any means to make money. They may even have a legitimate business
but most certainly try to take advantage of you to make a
few extra dollars. Most complaints we hear concerning people
being ripped off are caused by individuals who fit this description.
On your first trip to Costa Rica you will probably
be besieged by con- artists anxious to help you make
an investment. Be wary of blue ribbon business deals
that seem too good to be true, or any other get-rich-quick
schemes i.e. non-existent land, fantastic sounding
real estate projects, phony high-interest bank investments
or property not belonging to the person selling it.
If potential profit sounds too good to be true, it
probably is.
Always do your homework and talk to other expats before
you make any type of investment. There seems to be
something about the ambience here that causes one to
trust total strangers. The secret is to be cautious
without being afraid to invest. Before jumping into
what seems to be a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity,
ask yourself this question: Would I make the same investment
in my hometown?
Do not do anything with your money in Costa Rica that you
wouldn't do at home. A friend and long-time resident here
always says jokingly when referring to the business logic
of foreigners who come to Costa Rica: When they step off the
plane they seem to go brain-dead.
Most people in Costa Rica are honest, hard-working
individuals. However, do not assume people are honest
just because they are nice. Remember, it does not hurt
to be overly cautious.
If you are robbed or swindled under any circumstances,
contact the police or the O.I.J. (Organización
de Investigación Judicial), a special, highly
efficient investigative unit like the FBI (Avenidas
8 and 10, Calles 15 and 17, in the middle building
of the court-house complex, 295-3271). The O.I.J. has
20 more offices around the country. All of them are
open 24 hours a day.You may also want to contact the Ministry
of Public Security, (Ministerio de Seguridad
Pública) at 2274866. You may not recover
your money, but you may prevent others from being victimized.
Despite all this talk of safety and crime Costa Rica
is still one of the safest countries in the world.
The firm AON Corp. in its study The Risk of Terrorism
Worldwide, ranks Costa and a handful of other countries
as the safest in the world. You may find Costa Rica
crime statistics at: http://www.rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/rwinslow/namerica/
costa_rica.html.
Handguns - Death
of a Friend or Loved One - Life
as an Expatriate and Cultural Diferences - M.R.T.A.
Overseas Adaptability Test - 23
Things Every Prospective Expatriate Should Know - Costa
Rica Movers Checklist - Residency
Check List - Frequently
Asked Questions - Indispensable Sources of Information
- Discussion Groups - Useful Websites - Suggested Reading
- Important Spanish Phrases and Vocabulary - Tiquismos - Important
Phone Numbers - Governmental and Autonomous Institutions -
Zip Codes by City - Index - Notes |
