> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ioc.support/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ioc.support/reporting-crime-to-authorities/costa-rica-reporting-cyber-crime.md).

# Costa Rica - Reporting Cyber Crime

If you have been the victim of a scam, financial fraud or cryptocurrency-related crime in **Costa Rica**, you should act as quickly as possible.

The most important steps are to:

* Report the crime to the **Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ)** or the **Ministerio Público**
* Notify your bank, cryptocurrency exchange or payment provider
* Preserve all available evidence
* Identify any cryptocurrency exchanges or other service providers that received the funds
* Avoid sending any further money
* Keep your police or case reference number for subsequent enquiries

{% hint style="danger" %}
If there is an immediate threat to your safety or an emergency is taking place, call **911**.
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## Report the Crime to the OIJ

The **Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ)** is Costa Rica's judicial investigative police and is one of the main authorities responsible for investigating fraud and other criminal offences.

A victim can attend **any OIJ office in Costa Rica** and provide details of what happened.

OIJ states that:

* Costa Rican nationals and foreign nationals can report crimes
* You do not need a lawyer to make a report
* There is no charge for filing a complaint
* You should provide as much information as possible about the offence and the people involved
* A report can be made at any OIJ office, even if the offence occurred elsewhere in Costa Rica
* The case can subsequently be transferred internally to the appropriate investigating office

The OIJ's San José complaints office and regional delegations provide complaint services **24 hours a day, 365 days a year**.

{% hint style="info" %}
Once a formal complaint has been filed, the case may be assigned to an investigator. Additional evidence discovered later can be provided to the OIJ as an **extension to the original complaint**.
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### OIJ Confidential Information Line

The OIJ also operates the **Centro de Información Confidencial (CICO)**.

**Telephone:** 800-8000-645

The line operates 24 hours a day and can be used to provide confidential information concerning criminal activity.

{% hint style="danger" %}
The confidential information line should not be confused with making a formal criminal complaint. If you are the victim of fraud and require an official case to be opened, attend an OIJ office or report the matter through the appropriate judicial reporting route.
{% endhint %}

## Report the Crime to the Ministerio Público

A fraud victim can also make a criminal complaint through Costa Rica's **Ministerio Público — Public Prosecutor's Office**.

A complaint can be made at the nearest Fiscalía.

The Ministerio Público states that a person can approach the nearest Prosecutor's Office even if that office is not ultimately responsible for the case. The matter can then be transferred to the appropriate jurisdiction.

Depending on the circumstances and available systems, electronic submission may also be possible through Costa Rica's judicial online services. Victims should confirm the appropriate reporting method with the relevant Fiscalía.

For complex fraud and cyber-enabled crime, Costa Rica also has specialist prosecutorial capability, including the **Fiscalía Adjunta contra la Ciberdelincuencia**.

## Contact Your Bank Immediately

If money was sent through a:

* Costa Rican bank
* International bank
* Credit or debit card
* Payment service
* Money transfer provider
* Cryptocurrency exchange

contact the provider's **fraud or compliance department immediately**.

Tell them that the transaction is connected to suspected fraud and ask whether they can:

* Stop the transaction
* Recall the transfer
* Flag the receiving account
* Preserve transaction records
* Preserve account information
* Contact the receiving financial institution
* Provide a fraud or investigation reference number

Do this **even if you have already reported the crime to the OIJ or Ministerio Público**.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Do not wait for the police investigation to progress before notifying your bank or payment provider. Financial institutions and law enforcement perform different functions and both should be contacted as early as possible.
{% endhint %}

## Complaints Involving Costa Rican Financial Institutions

The **Superintendencia General de Entidades Financieras (SUGEF)** supervises Costa Rica's regulated financial system.

If the issue concerns the conduct of a SUGEF-supervised financial institution, the victim should generally complain to the institution first.

SUGEF states that complaints against supervised institutions normally require the institution's own administrative complaint process to have been exhausted before escalation to SUGEF. If no response is received within **10 business days**, a complaint may potentially be submitted to SUGEF.

{% hint style="info" %}
SUGEF is a financial supervisor. It is **not a criminal investigation authority** and does not replace reporting fraud to the OIJ or Ministerio Público.
{% endhint %}

### Suspected Unauthorised Financial Businesses

If the scam involves a person or business that appears to be:

* Taking deposits without authorisation
* Conducting financial intermediation without authorisation
* Conducting unauthorised currency exchange
* Claiming falsely to be a regulated bank or financial institution

the matter can also be reported to SUGEF.

SUGEF specifically advises anyone who believes they are the victim of fraud or a scam to notify the **Ministerio Público immediately**.

## Investment Scams

If the fraud involves a purported:

* Investment platform
* Broker
* Securities company
* Investment adviser
* Trading scheme
* Public offering

consider checking whether the organisation is registered with the **Superintendencia General de Valores (SUGEVAL)**.

SUGEVAL accepts complaints relating to entities and participants operating within Costa Rica's regulated securities market. It also publishes warnings concerning organisations claiming to operate in or from Costa Rica without the necessary registration or authorisation.

{% hint style="warning" %}
A regulatory complaint does not replace a criminal report. If money has been obtained through deception, the matter should still be reported to the OIJ or Ministerio Público.
{% endhint %}

## If Cryptocurrency Was Involved

If cryptocurrency was sent as part of the scam, preserve the blockchain evidence immediately.

Where possible, record:

* Transaction hashes / TXIDs
* Sending wallet addresses
* Receiving wallet addresses
* Cryptocurrency used
* Blockchain/network used
* Amount transferred
* Date and time
* Exchange deposit addresses
* Destination services
* Screenshots of withdrawals
* Exchange account information
* Police or case reference number

If the funds reach a centralised cryptocurrency exchange, contact the exchange's:

* Fraud team
* Compliance team
* Investigations team
* Legal or law-enforcement response team

Provide the relevant transaction information and ask the service to **preserve account and transaction records pending contact from law enforcement**.

{% hint style="warning" %}
A cryptocurrency exchange may not disclose customer information, freeze an account or return funds solely because a victim asks them to. Formal legal or law-enforcement process may be required.
{% endhint %}

## Cryptocurrency Regulation in Costa Rica

Costa Rica introduced important changes to its virtual-asset framework in **2026**.

Law **10,961**, reforming Law 7786, introduced requirements for **Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs)**, including registration with SUGEF and obligations concerning anti-money laundering, customer identification, risk controls and reporting of suspicious transactions. The reform took effect in June 2026.

This may be relevant where a scam involves a cryptocurrency business operating from Costa Rica.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Registration or AML supervision should not be interpreted as a guarantee that a cryptocurrency business is financially safe, that customer funds are protected, or that stolen cryptocurrency can be recovered.
{% endhint %}

## Preserve Your Evidence

Do not delete messages, emails, accounts or transaction records connected to the scam.

Preserve as much of the following as possible:

* Bank statements
* Payment receipts
* SWIFT or international transfer information
* Cryptocurrency transaction hashes
* Wallet addresses
* Exchange deposit and withdrawal records
* Emails
* WhatsApp messages
* Telegram conversations
* Full chat exports
* Telephone numbers
* Email addresses
* Social-media profiles
* Usernames
* Website URLs
* Domain names
* Screenshots of websites
* Investment dashboards
* Screenshots showing account balances
* Contracts
* Invoices
* Identity documents supplied by the suspects
* Names and aliases used
* Company information
* Dates and times of communications
* Voice messages
* Photographs
* A chronological timeline of events

Where cryptocurrency is involved, provide investigators with a tracing chart if one is available.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Any preliminary blockchain tracing chart should clearly distinguish confirmed on-chain transactions from assumptions, attribution hypotheses or investigative leads.

A preliminary chart should not be represented as a completed forensic blockchain examination unless a full forensic tracing process has actually been performed.
{% endhint %}

## Do Not Send Any More Money

Once fraud is suspected, do not make further payments.

Be particularly cautious if you are told that additional money is required for:

* Taxes
* Withdrawal fees
* AML clearance
* Compliance fees
* Verification fees
* Security deposits
* Wallet activation
* Account unlocking
* Release fees
* Gas fees
* Legal fees
* Recovery fees

A scammer may show a large balance on a website or application while refusing to release it until another payment is made.

The displayed balance **does not necessarily represent real assets**.

## Be Alert to Recovery Scams

Victims of fraud are frequently targeted a second time.

Someone may contact you claiming to be:

* A cryptocurrency investigator
* A recovery company
* A blockchain expert
* A lawyer
* A hacker
* A law-enforcement officer
* An exchange employee
* A regulator
* An asset recovery specialist

They may claim that your money has already been located and can be released after another payment.

{% hint style="danger" %}
Be extremely cautious of anyone guaranteeing the recovery of stolen cryptocurrency or money.

No legitimate investigator can guarantee that assets will be frozen, seized or returned.
{% endhint %}

## The First 24 Hours

For cryptocurrency fraud, the first hours following discovery can be particularly important.

Where possible, prioritise:

**OIJ / police report → Bank or exchange notification → Identify exchange endpoints → Preserve evidence → Provide investigators with wallet addresses, TXIDs and tracing information**

If stolen cryptocurrency reaches a centralised exchange, that exchange may hold:

* Customer identity information
* Email addresses
* Telephone numbers
* IP address information
* Login records
* Device information
* Deposit records
* Withdrawal addresses
* Banking information

This can potentially turn an anonymous blockchain address into an identifiable investigative lead.

However, obtaining this information will normally require cooperation from the exchange and potentially a formal request from law enforcement.

## If You Are Outside Costa Rica

If you are outside Costa Rica but the fraud involves:

* A person in Costa Rica
* A Costa Rican bank account
* A Costa Rican company
* A Costa Rican investment business
* A cryptocurrency business operating from Costa Rica
* Infrastructure or accounts located in Costa Rica

you should normally report the crime to **your own local law-enforcement agency as well as the appropriate Costa Rican authority**.

Provide investigators with:

* Costa Rican bank details
* Company information
* Names
* Telephone numbers
* Email addresses
* Cryptocurrency addresses
* Transaction hashes
* Exchange information
* Payment records
* A chronological account of events
* Any blockchain tracing information

Your domestic law-enforcement agency may then be able to make formal enquiries of Costa Rican authorities or financial institutions through the appropriate international cooperation channels.

{% hint style="info" %}
If you are outside Costa Rica and cannot attend an OIJ office personally, contact the Ministerio Público or OIJ for guidance on the most appropriate reporting route. The Ministerio Público provides mechanisms for complaints through local Fiscalías and, where supported, electronic judicial services.
{% endhint %}