Who Are The Most Common Kidnappers of Gringos in Costa Rica? The answer may surprise you.

Kidnappings in Mexico are at a record high and are more than twice as likely to end with the death of a hostage, says a Mexican think-tank in a new study based on data from two federal government agencies.

According to this recent report, Mexico registered 1,847 kidnappings in 2010, 209 of which resulted in the murder of the hostages. This is more than double that of 2009 and the highest index registered since 1971

Another 66 page report by IKVPAX CHRISTI published in July 2008: ‘Kidnapping is Booming Business. A lucrative political instrument for armed groups operating in conflict zones’ states that:

“The kidnapping situation in the Central American countries Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala is relatively quiet, albeit that the number is definitely growing in the last three countries. Moreover, the kidnapping practices in these countries are closely related to the rising crime in the major cities.”

Costa Rica was not mentioned once in the entire 66 page report…

“Mexico is currently classed as the riskiest Latin American country for kidnapping. Twenty years ago kidnapping was recorded sporadically in Mexico. However, after the 1994 economic crisis the country was faced with the rise of large-scale drugs-related and other crime, as well as with rising numbers of kidnappings. After a slight fall in the late 1990s, the number of economic kidnappings rose spectacularly after 2000. Mexico is the absolute world leader in express kidnap and telephone extortion involving virtual kidnap. Mexico City is considered to be the most dangerous capital city in Latin America for kidnapping.”

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office website states that: “Personal attacks, including rape and other sexual offences, are still infrequent in Costa Rica, but there has been increasing occurrences in the last couple of years.”

The FCO site also mentions that: “There has also been an increase in the number of short-term and opportunistic kidnapping, called “express kidnapping”, occurring in Costa Rica. Victims, who are predominantly local nationals, are normally selected at random and are forced at gunpoint to withdraw money from ATMs. Once the ransom is paid the victim is usually quickly released.”

Even though I cannot find a single report of an American adult or an Australian ever being kidnapped in Costa Rica, the Australian government website advises that: “Express kidnappings, where individuals are abducted and forced to withdraw funds from ATM machines to secure their release, are becoming increasingly common.”

The most common kidnapping news we see in Costa Rica is where a mother or father has abducted their child in the USA – normally claiming some form of abuse – and they’ve fled to Costa Rica.

They are coming to Costa Rica because they consider it a safe haven and not because it’s a dangerous place where people are kidnapped frequently.

A recent example of this would be U.S. Mom Claims Refugee Status in Costa Rica after Kidnapping Daughter. But the number of child kidnapping cases where the parent flees from the US to Costa Rica is far less than the number of children who are kidnapped and taken to Japan.

United States Senator Roy Blunt pointed to Costa Rica as an international destination for parental child abduction in a letter sent to President Laura Chinchilla on 12th April 2011.

Blunt states that: “Costa Rica is rapidly developing an international reputation as a destination for kidnappers” and the letter quotes figures from the U.S. State Department that list 122 cases of child abduction involving 161 children being taken from the U.S. to Costa Rica since 2001.

1. Only take legal taxis and avoid the unregistered taxis known as the ‘piratas’.
2. If you use public transport, dress to blend in, try not to look like the typical American tourist you see in the movies with his shorts and bright Hawaiian type shirt.
3. Leave your nice watch and fancy jewelry at home if you’re going out to public places.
4. Avoid driving deserted roads late at night.
5. Try to avoid driving alone and keep your car doors locked at all times.
6. Be extra cautious with motorcycles approaching your car on either side, wherever possible stay close to another car or the side of the road so that a motorcycle can not approach.
7. Make sure your gas tank is always at least half full.
8. If you have a sudden flat tire, drive to the nearest gas station or store before parking and seeking help if required. Do NOT accept the help of a friendly stranger who just happens to appear at that time.
9. When going out with friends to bars at night, always keep your drink in sight and never accept a drink, chewing gum or even a cigarette from a stranger.
10. Keep a good map and emergency telephone numbers on your person and in your car and also program the telephone numbers into your cell phone.
11. Try to take different routes between your home and place of work and other places where you travel regularly.
12. If you must use an ATM only use the ones in busy, well monitored areas and never use them late at night in deserted places.
13. Pay attention to what’s going on around you, are people watching you for no apparent reason? Unless you are a Hollywood celebrity (with security), stay well away from them…
14. If a group of people you don’t know appear to be waiting for you, walk in the opposite direction and phone for help if you feel threatened.
15. When you go out leave all the credit cards you will not need at home.
16. If you are a single parent in Costa Rica with your child and there is a serious child custody problem back in the US and your spouse has big bucks – be extra careful!
17. When sending other people to pick up and drop off your child, make sure the child and the adult picking him up both know your own special ‘magic’ security word. If the child does not hear the ‘magic’ word then she/he can NOT – under any circumstances – go anywhere with that person and she must try to seek immediate help to contact you.
18. In the extremely unlikely event that someone you know is kidnapped you must act as fast as you possibly can to contact both a trusted private investigator and the police.

Kidnapping is a serious and often deadly business in many parts of the world but in Costa Rica, it can be quite amusing as you will see in Getting Kidnapped in Costa Rica Remains Affordable! where two desperate men kidnapped another Costa Rican man in Aserrí, San Jose and demanded a ransom payment of ¢20,000 to free the victim.

At today’s exchange rate that’s exactly US$40! Thankfully the Costa Rican police sprang into action and one hour after receiving the money, the kidnappers released the victim unharmed and later the same day, both kidnappers were arrested.

Did I mention that Costa Rica was not mentioned once in the entire 66 page ‘Kidnapping is Booming Business’ report?

Our Premium VIP Members can download the ‘Kidnapping is Booming Business. A lucrative political instrument for armed groups operating in conflict zones’ report here.

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Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1. Costa Rica Real Estate Scams & How To Avoid Them, 2. How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, and 3. Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.