Since the internet is becoming more available to Costa Ricans so have the S & S's (scammers and spammers), as we wrote about how Costa Rica's internet fraud has increase. One of the things S & S'ers like is to target ones problems (like money) and claim they can help clear it up. In this case, it is a lottery scam, claiming winners will receive a Visa to the U.S. In other words, … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Internet Fraud On the Rise – Haiti Earthquake Scams
01/18/2010 by 2 Comments
I got an panic email last Saturday about a small Costa Rica online store whose owner got scammed when she went to buy a product and was taken to a phishing website. She elected to pay by e-check, her second biggest mistake. Within seconds her account was cleaned out of several hundred dollars. She asked me what we could do to get her money back? I was sorry to say, "Nothing." Adding, all she … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Copyright Protection – Government Involvement
01/04/2010 by Leave a Comment
Sometime ago we wrote about how San Jose is cracking down on street vendors. The biggest complains were, hassling of customers in front of stores, illegal aliens, and the big one, selling of pirated CDs and DVDs and counterfeit products like designer clothes. For some time now Costa Rica has been under fire for their lack of enforcement of pirated software, movies and music, even if the … [Read more...]
Villalobos Investors Suing Costa Rica Government Over Ponzi Scam
12/19/2009 by 18 Comments
Since about 1984 I have pretty much followed the infamous Villalobos brother’s Ponzi scheme of high investment returns who defrauded clients–mostly American and Canadian retirees–out of $400 million in a 20-odd-year unregulated loan scheme that started in the late 1980s. They promised interest rates of 3% per month on a minimum investment of $10,000. Villalobos moved money through shell … [Read more...]
Canada and Costa Rica – Free Trade Treaty and Visas
12/16/2009 by 2 Comments
It’s no secret that North Americans are the dominating foreigners that live in Costa Rica. And because of that, Costa Rica also would like to increase Canadian tourism. It is estimated that some 100,000 Canadians come to Costa Rica each year and about 10,000 Canadians live there, compared to 10 times that amount of Americans. And because of the Canadians tourism and expats, both governments … [Read more...]
Costa Rica Gas Prices Keep Rising – Again In January
12/13/2009 by 1 Comment
For a country that is almost a stones throw from Venezuela , (major oil producer) it would seem the poor Costa Rican would get a break in gasoline. No such luck! About 4 times this year the poor people have seen major gas increases. In fact back in July, a group of 60 commercial tractor trailers backed up the streets between El Coyol de Alajuela and Paseo Colón, on the western side of San José … [Read more...]
Costa Rica, Child Custody and Abduction Laws
11/30/2009 by 8 Comments
Last week another U.S. father was in Costa Rica seeking a son for whom he had legal custody of. Unfortunately, the father so far has struck out, forcing him to hired a private investigator. This is just another case of a U.S. parent running out on a divorce decision and abducting their child. The case originated over a year ago in Boise, Idaho and the mother is believed to have fled to Costa … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Income Tax – Expat Rules Are Now More Complicated
11/27/2009 by 3 Comments
We were going to write about this six months ago, but when it comes to the government of Costa Rica, it can be heresy until it really happens. Or just a procrastration until something major happens like the bridge tragedy. But when talking to an U.S account doing business in Costa Rica, he pretty much cut our conversation short because he had an important meeting with his accountant. This … [Read more...]
U.S. Consulate – San José Embassy – Visa Problem
11/22/2009 by Leave a Comment
Attending a business meeting in Santa Ana a few weeks ago, one of the associates of a client rant and raved about his dealings with the U.S. Consulate at the San José embassy US Embassy. He was Costa Rican, his wife was American and they had two children. All they wanted was to visit the U.S for a few weeks to see her parents. The kids had no problem (the duel citizenship thing) but he was … [Read more...]
Costa Rica’s Drug Smugglers Problem – Crocodiles
11/13/2009 by 2 Comments
As Costa Rica slowly but surely becomes the new hub for drug trafficking, and with San Jose now the place to smuggle containers of drugs to the US, it now appears that drug smugglers have a new problem, which is not the US DEA, local police or competition, but crocodiles! It’s no surprise that the Central Pacific between Puntarenus to Quepos with the hot tourist spot of Jaco between has … [Read more...]
La Ruta de los Conquistadores – Costa Rica Bike Race Shut Down
11/10/2009 by Leave a Comment
When I was in Jaco last week, the town was gearing up for an intense coast-to-coast bike across Costa Rica's rugged terrain known to all as La Ruta de los Conquistadores. To date, more than one decade later, “La Ruta” is considered to be the most difficult Mountain Bike multi-day race on the planet. However, this Costa Rica's coast-to-coast bike race which is suppose to begin in Jacó Wednesday, … [Read more...]
Chinese Drywall and Costa Rica Building Contractors
11/06/2009 by 3 Comments
With China investing in Costa Rica big time, there may be a problem with some of the building imports in the eco-minded country. When Costa Rica builders were busy a few years a go, many homes/condos and commercial projects were using Chinese imported drywall. In the US many class action lawsuits have been filed. If you Google, "Chinese drywall," the pages are filled with the problems it has … [Read more...]
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