Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency is warning the public about a rise in scams involving the fake sale of U.S. dollars through hacked WhatsApp accounts.
The OIJ’s Specialized Unit Against Scams and Registry Fraud in San José has received 62 reports this year tied to this type of fraud. Investigators say the scam has caused major financial losses, with some victims depositing several million colones after believing they were buying dollars at a favorable exchange rate.
The scheme begins when criminals gain control of a person’s WhatsApp account. Once inside, they send mass messages to that person’s contacts, offering to sell dollars at a rate between ¢30 and ¢50 cheaper than the market price. The offer often appears credible because it comes from the WhatsApp account of someone the victim knows. In many cases, the person receiving the message believes they are dealing with a friend, relative, coworker, or acquaintance.
The criminals then ask the victim to deposit colones into a bank account, promising to send dollars in return. Once the money is transferred, the dollars never arrive. OIJ investigator Roger Araya said the scam works because the criminals use trusted identities. A message may appear to come from someone familiar, but the person behind the conversation is actually a scammer controlling the account.
Authorities said the account takeover often happens when a WhatsApp user clicks on a malicious link, responds to a fake update request, or shares a security code sent to their phone. Once the code is entered or shared, criminals can take over the account for several hours and quickly begin contacting everyone in the victim’s list.
By the time the original account holder realizes they have lost access, the scam may already be underway. In some cases, account owners have managed to warn their contacts in time. In others, victims have already sent money before learning the offer was fake.
The scam has also created confusion between victims and the real owners of the hacked accounts. Authorities say some people have gone directly to acquaintances demanding their money back, only to find out that the person had no idea their WhatsApp account had been used to offer dollars.
The OIJ is urging residents to be cautious with any offer that appears too good to be true, especially when it involves dollars sold below the market rate. Investigators also warned people not to deposit money into unfamiliar bank accounts without confirming the transaction through another form of communication.
Authorities are also reminding WhatsApp users not to share verification codes, not to click suspicious links, and not to respond to messages that ask for account access information. Even if a message appears to come from someone known, the OIJ recommends confirming the request by phone or in person before sending money.
The warning comes as Costa Rica continues to see scams spread through messaging apps, where criminals can move quickly and use familiar contacts to gain trust.
In this case, investigators say the fraud can be completed in minutes. For anyone who receives an unexpected offer to buy dollars through WhatsApp, the advice is easy: verify first, do not rush, and never treat a discounted exchange rate as proof that the deal is legitimate.
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