Through its website, the US embassy warned American citizens of the Costa Rica’s dangers and the assaults and robberies tourists have been victims of.
Crime is increasing in Costa Rica and US citizens are frequent victims,
states the first part of the information posted on the web.
Authorities also offer details of some of the “most recent crimes” Americans have been victims of on national territory:
-A rented car tire went flat, and some people tried to “help change the tire”, but they stole the person’s passports, handbags, cash and camera.
-Criminals broke into a hotel room and stole the wallet, cell phones, and other goods that the guest had hidden in the room.
-Several rented houses were invaded by masked men, who had guns and machetes. The tourists were robbed and taken as hostages.
-Several Americans were traveling on a tourist bus. While they were rafting, the bus was in the parking lot and their passports were stolen along with cameras, cash, credit cards, and clothing.
-An American’s luggage was stolen from a chair in a restaurant while he was in the bathroom.
-Some belongings were stolen from the trunk of a rented car.
The institution recommends its citizens not to carry their passport and keep it in a safe box, in addition to always having the hotel telephone number or the embassy number (2519-2000).
It also suggest not to walk at night in San José, to avoid bars or crowded places, to use the banks to exchange dollars, among others.
Víctor Ramírez, manager of Tourism Management at the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) described these recommendations as a shame, although he accepted that embassies have a duty to protect their citizens and it is normal for them to do this kind of thing.