Tag Archive for: infidelity

Costa Rica Real Estate Fraud

The U.S.- Costa Rica Real Estate Fraud Increasing

The police (OIJ) busted a real estate closing Monday and arrested five men suspected of Costa Rica Real Estate Fraud. The arrests took place at the closing agent’s office in Guadalupe. I have learned from news sources, that the agents uncovered an elaborate scheme. Prior to the fraud completion police notified the real owners. As a result the  police were able to thart the fraud.

They are incredibly lucky.

What we know

According to news sources, the unusual thing was that the agents were able to move in at the closing. OIJ spokesperson said they received an anonymous tip, The tip was last week, and enabled OIJ to contact the real owner of the property who said that his land was not for sale. Of those arrested one is 82, and the other suspects are 35 to 52, according to OIJ. OIJ did not reveal the names of the suspects. The property in question is in Tres Ríos in the Cartago area.

Authorities moved swiftly

OIJ acted quickly after obtaining the tip and was successful in thwarting the fraud. Being a Certified Fraud Examiner, I know that most of these types of real estate fraud are not detected until sometime after the closing. By being proactive the OIJ and its agents should be applauded for detecting and preventing this fraud. As in the United States, typically real estate fraud cases have low priority and insufficient resources to detect, apprehend and prosecute such cases. If you are considering buying real estate in Costa Rica, call us! We know the ends and outs of Costa Rica Real Estate Fraud.

Conclusion

If you are thinking about or in the middle of a real estate deal here, stop and call us. I recommend this and compare it to a second opinion from a doctor.

 

Mistakes to avoid in Costa Rica

Five Mistakes to Avoid in Costa Rica

As a tenured professional private investigator in Costa Rica, I have witnessed the unnecessary loss of money and emotions. Therefore, I have prepared a list of five mistakes to avoid in Costa Rica.

The law is an amazing preventive, but can also be a devastating curative medicine.  So, please let me try and help you avoid mistakes made by those who came to Costa Rica before you, and try and keep you out of ‘hot water.’

1. Do not do anything you would not do in your own hometown: Many foreigners seem to believe they can outsmart the system when they come to a less developed country. Perhaps. the kind manner most Costa Ricans behave with ex-pats. Which in turning them into wishful thinkers. Always bear in mind that the legal system in Costa Rica is Napoleonic, not Common Law. Consequently, things are handled very differently than in the US or Canada.

Because of that, the best place to begin your investment plan is in an attorney’s office. It is best not to try the Do it yourself method! Some people, in trying to save some dollars in legal fees, avoid finding a good attorney. Subsequently, their issue is not resolved and they lack guidance through their problems. Do not do that! Do your homework. Find an attorney you feel comfortable with and stay with him for as long as he does a good job.

2. Do not rush into the decision of hiring an attorney.

If you are thinking of investing in Costa Rica; like it or not hiring a local attorney is a must for you. It does not matter if you are just buying a car, a home, or planning to set up a million-dollar business. You will need an attorney. You may not like the idea of paying legal fees, but who does? But accept it and live with it. The idea is to have your lawyer working for you as ‘preventive medicine’, as a kind of insurance against what ‘might happen.’

Consider the legal fees as your insurance premium, because that’s really what it is. Today, you will pay a fraction of what it will probably cost to try and fix that problem later on if you do not have an honest attorney to guide you.

3. Do not think of buying Costa Rica real estate and only follow the real estate broker’s advice!

In Costa Ricareal estate brokers are not licensed in the same way they are in the United States. Some of them are real professionals, but a lot of them are just ‘enthusiastic’ salespeople. Many more are con people trying to make a quick dollar.

In either buying or selling real estate, you will probably have a need for a broker’s services. But if your Costa Rica real estate agent is first class, have your attorney on board to supervise the process. Remember no real estate can be transferred here without a Notary. All Notaries here must be licensed Costa Rican Attorneys.  Never use the Notary or attorney of the buyer.  This is not only a conflict of interest, it’s a sure way to fall victim to fraud.

4. Do not blindly trust your own countrymen!

Just because they have been here more time than you have. I have seen US citizens being conned by US people and, Canadians by Canadians and so forth. Be careful! There are a whole lot of strange people in this country, some of them fleeing from the FBI, Interpol, ex-wives, and even from mental institutions.

5. Gentlemen! Please remember that you do not, I repeat, do NOT need to marry the first beautiful ‘Tica’ (Costa Rican woman) that you meet! You will find yourself in the middle of the biggest financial and emotional nightmare imaginable.

Equally important is getting romantically involved with a woman you have only recently met. Ask yourself this simple question, “if she were in the United States, would she be this interested in me?’ This is particularly true if you are 55 and she is 23.  Chances are she is using you as a sponsor. Women will sleep with you after talking to you for 10 minutes. It is a business and she is doing her job. You are paying her for a service that she is doing. If she tells you she loves you she is only doing her job and you are paying her to lie to you. Prior to making and romantic or financial commitment, get her checked out.

 

Catch a Cheater in Costa Rica

Five-Step Plan to Catch a Cheater in Costa Rica

The five-step plan to catch a cheater in Costa Rica: Cheaters that come to Costa Rica have often laid the groundwork for their misdeeds long before they actually arrive. Technology advancements have given cheaters a false sense of security with new devices. Today most cheaters think they have an advantage by using such devices and applications to communicate. To take advantage of this misconception I recommend the following five steps to catch a cheater in Costa Rica.

 

My Five-step recommendations

Step 1: Make a Decision

First, you should decide whether or not it’s worth knowing if your partner is cheating. I know of instances where some prefer not to know. Innocent victims of a cheater owe it to themselves and their families to know the truth. Decide to catch a cheater if knowing the truth is the best thing for you and your family.

Step 2: Be Prepared

Once the decision has been made to catch the cheater you must prepare yourself for the worst-case scenario. Having definitive proof that your partner is cheating can be devastating. It’s also important to be financially prepared to investigate. Cheaters never perform on cue. It takes perseverance and patience to catch a cheater. The more information you supply the investigator the more effective and efficient they can be and thus save you time and money.

I will need recent photos, itinerary, flight number, location, traveling companions, habits, distinguishing marks, and length of stay for the investigation. We will discuss more details in our pre-investigation interview.

Step 3: Deploy

Probably the most important thing that you will have to do is the hiring of a private investigator in Costa Rica. You want to hire a private investigator with the experience and resources to carry out the mission. You also want a private investigator that listens to your ideas and concerns with regard to conducting the investigation. Be cautious of investigators in Costa Rica who try to bully or misguide you. Be especially wary of those who ask for payment through Western Union, or ask you to send money to a third party, as this is a red flag.

Probably, the most frequent question I get is about cost and conducting an investigation in Costa Rica. Although a third-world country the cost of living and operating here is higher than that in the United States. For example, gasoline is almost $6.00 a gallon; a 2 Liter bottle of Coke is $3.00; a combo from McDonald’s is $6.50; these prices are due in part to the Costa Rica government placing taxes on all consumer goods.

Competent and experienced investigators the United States routinely charge between $60 and $100 per hour plus expenses for their services. You should expect similar rates from competent and qualified investigators in Costa Rica. When you interview investigators in Costa Rica and they tell you they have a flat rate of $200 a day, you will sadly learn that this is nothing more than a ruse to ask you for more money as the investigation progresses. Some will hold the results of their investigation as hostage until you send them more money.

Step 4:  Wait and be patient

As I mentioned earlier cheaters never perform on cue. To catch a cheater it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time to capture his/her indiscretions. This is not rocket science but it does require perseverance and patience not only on the part of the investigator that on the client as well. I know it is human nature to want to know everything that is going on during the course of an investigation. But it is extremely important that you follow my instructions during the surveillance. I will keep you informed of any relevant or important events but will require that you keep this information to yourself until the investigation is complete. The investigation is only as good as the secrecy of the operation is maintained.

Step 5: Review the Results

 Many times, due to circumstances and or obstacles clear-cut proof cannot be obtained. For example, getting a video are photographic evidence of an intimate encounter between the cheater and his lover is rare. However, when reviewing the available evidence, and taking into consideration the totality of the circumstances to which the evidence speaks, you need to ask yourself; what a reasonable person viewing the same evidence would conclude? This is what you call circumstantial evidence and the conclusion is drawn from the preponderance of the evidence. If we obtain photographic evidence of the cheater at a bar that is known to be a meeting place for prostitutes and the cheater is captured with a woman in such a place and then leaves with that woman, what would a reasonable person to conclude?

Regrettably, these investigations lead to divorce. I recommend that prior to confronting a cheater with the evidence of his infidelity, you sit down with a divorce attorney and allow him to advise you as to the best manner to proceed.

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