Costa Rica recently was reclassified from a Level 1 country (Take normal security precautions), to a Level 2 country (Take greater security precautions), for the year 2020. Other Level 2 countries include Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico. This reclassification came as a huge surprise to Costa Rican government officials, who boast of a reduction in crimes – especially violent crimes involving tourists – for the year 2019. These security levels are decided by the United States State Department.

Now we hear of a much more sophisticated way to scam tourists in Costa Rica: Money Lost in Translation.
A Canadian dentist was on vacation this last December, with his wife and daughter. The three decided to cool down after a day in the intense Tico sun with some ice cream, while visiting Tamarindo. Aaaaaaahh, just the cool sweet treat they craved! The dentist, Dr. David Kindrat, paid for the desserts with his Scotiabank credit card. Their bill came to 4,050c (roughly $9 Canadian), which seemed reasonable in a tourist town. He used his credit card. He provided is PIN to authorize the transaction.
Much to Kindrat’s dismay, when he received his bank summary of charges made while in Costa Rica, he had in fact been charged with $4,050USD, or $5,285 Canadian, the price of a night at the Peninsula Hong Kong Suite! A night in the Peninsula includes use of the helipad and a suite for one’s security staff. This hotel was made famous in the James Bond film, “The Man with the Golden Gun”. It is a far cry from ice cream for three in Tamarindo. Dr. Kindrat immediately contacted his bank, and was told his case was “under investigation”. He had allegedly authorized the transaction by using his PIN number. The sale was considered totally legal, even though Dr. Kindrat authorized the purchase in colones, not dollars.
Kindrat worries that he may never get a refund, as it has already been 30 days since his return to Canada.

Other travelers to Costa Rica have reported similar Lost in Translation situations, but none quite as severe as that of Dr. Kindrat. None of the warnings on the American or Canadian Embassy websites even mention this threat. But in fact, this scam has happened several times, not just in Costa Rica, but in other countries as well.
The Embassy websites do encourage tourists to travel with small sums of cash, and use that instead of credit cards while traveling. That plan seems totally preferable now that tourists see what can go wrong, even in the nicest areas and resorts

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