Costa Rica: Moderate Risk — watch out for rental car damage scam.
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Moderate Risk: Rental car damage scam. Some rental agencies claim pre-existing damage wasn't noted at pickup and charge large fees at return. Photograph and video the entire car from every angle before driving off, and consider buying full insurance coverage through the agency.
Costa Rica: Moderate Risk — watch out for rental car damage scam. Some rental agencies claim pre-existing damage wasn't noted at pickup and charge large fees at return. Photograph and video the entire car from every angle before driving off, and consider buying full insurance coverage through the agency.
A real, somewhat common scam pattern exists here — check the note above so you can recognize it before it happens to you.
Agree on prices before getting into a taxi, be skeptical of unusually friendly strangers steering you somewhere specific, and never sign anything or accept food/drinks from someone you just met. The single biggest risk for this destination is noted above — general street-smarts cover the rest.
Not at all — millions of tourists visit safely every year. Knowing the one scam pattern that catches people most often is simply the best, cheapest defense there is, since it's designed specifically to look harmless until it's too late.
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