Costa Rica Rental Scams: How to Verify a Landlord & Property Before Wiring a Deposit

Three rules stop almost every rental scam in Costa Rica. One: never send a deposit before you — or someone you personally trust — has walked through the property and you have a signed lease. Two: verify who actually owns the property in the National Registry; the folio real lookup on rnpdigital.com is free, and the registered owner's name must match the cédula (ID) of the person you are dealing with. Three: pay only through traceable channels — a Costa Rican bank transfer or SINPE Móvil to an account in the verified owner's name — never Western Union, MoneyGram, gift cards, or crypto. If a landlord resists any of these steps, walk away. The rest of this guide shows you how to apply them, step by step.

What do rental scams in Costa Rica actually look like?

Rental fraud here follows a handful of well-worn scripts, and they all end the same way: money sent, contact blocked. Electronic fraud complaints in Costa Rica jumped roughly 40% between 2024 and 2025 according to the OIJ (the judicial investigation police), and deposit scams aimed at foreigners searching from abroad are a steady part of that number. Knowing the scripts is half the defense.

The stolen-photo listing

Scammers copy photos, descriptions, and even the exact address of a real property — often a legitimate Airbnb or an old sale listing — and repost it as a long-term rental at an irresistible price. The property exists, which is exactly what makes the scam convincing. The person advertising it simply has no connection to it.

The "owner abroad" wire scam

The "owner" is conveniently out of the country — mission work, an oil rig, a military posting — so a viewing is impossible. But if you wire the deposit, they will "mail you the keys" or have "an agent" meet you. There are no keys and there is no agent. Any arrangement where money travels before you physically enter the property is a scam until proven otherwise.

The WhatsApp-only landlord

Everything happens in one chat thread: photos, negotiation, a payment request via SINPE or transfer, sometimes even a photo of a cédula (usually stolen or doctored) to build trust. The moment the deposit lands, you are blocked. WhatsApp is how everyone communicates in Costa Rica — that part is normal — but a landlord who refuses a video call from inside the property, an in-person meeting, or any verifiable identity check is not a landlord.

Too-good pricing and duplicate listings

A $650 ocean-view condo in Tamarindo or a $500 house in Escazú is bait, not luck. Scammers price 30–50% below market to trigger urgency. A related tell: the same property posted twice at different prices under different names, or a "landlord" whose phone number appears attached to listings in three different provinces. Run the photos through a reverse image search before you reply.

How do I verify who really owns a property in Costa Rica?

This is the single most powerful check available to you, and it is free. Every registered property in Costa Rica has a folio real — a unique registry number — in the Registro Nacional, the country's public property registry. Anyone can look up who owns a property, whether it has liens or mortgages, and its registered details.

1. Go to rnpdigital.com, the official portal of the Registro Nacional, and create a free account (email plus your passport or ID number).
2. Once your account is validated, open Consultas Gratuitas (free consultations) and choose the Bienes Inmuebles (real estate) section.
3. Search by the folio real number the landlord gives you, or by the owner's full name or cédula number.
4. Check the results: the registered owner's name, the property's location and size, and any annotations such as mortgages or pending disputes.

Ask the landlord directly for the folio real number (sometimes called número de finca). A legitimate owner has it on their property tax receipt, their escritura (deed), or can pull it up in minutes. Hesitation, excuses, or "why do you need that?" are answers in themselves. If you want certified proof for your records, the same portal sells an official certificación literal for a few dollars.

How do I confirm the landlord matches the registry owner?

Finding the owner's name is step one; confirming that the person in front of you is that owner is step two. Ask to see their cédula de identidad (or DIMEX for residents, passport for foreigners) in person or on a live video call — not as a forwarded photo, which is trivially faked or stolen. The name and ID number must match the registry record exactly.

Two common and perfectly legitimate wrinkles to know about:

• The property is owned by a corporation. Many Costa Rican properties are held by a sociedad anónima (S.A.) or S.R.L. In that case, verify the company in the same Registro Nacional portal under Personas Jurídicas, and confirm that the person signing is its registered legal representative (apoderado). Ask for a recent personería jurídica certificate.
• You are dealing with a property manager or agent. Fine and common — but ask for written authorization from the owner (a power of attorney or management agreement) plus the owner's ID, and verify the owner in the registry exactly as above.

What payment practices keep my deposit safe?

The sequence matters more than the method: view the property, verify the owner, sign the contract — then pay. Never in any other order.

• Use traceable, named payments. A transfer from a Costa Rican bank account or SINPE Móvil shows you the recipient's registered name before you confirm. That name should match the verified owner (or the corporation, or the authorized manager named in your contract) — not a cousin, a "secretary," or an unrelated third party.
• Never use Western Union, MoneyGram, gift cards, or cryptocurrency for a rental deposit. These are the payment rails of choice for scammers precisely because they are irreversible and anonymous.
• Get a written, signed receipt for the deposit stating the amount and the conditions for its return. Costa Rican law requires landlords to provide payment receipts.
• Beware fake SINPE confirmations. A newer scam involves doctored payment screenshots. If you are ever on the receiving end (for example, paying a deposit and first month in parts), confirm money movements in the actual banking app, not in a screenshot.

What does a legitimate Costa Rican lease include?

Residential rentals are governed by Law 7527 (Ley General de Arrendamientos Urbanos y Suburbanos), which is notably tenant-friendly. A real lease reflects it; a scammer's one-page "contract" usually does not. Expect to see:

• Full identification of both parties — names and cédula, DIMEX, or passport numbers.
• The property identified precisely, ideally including its folio real number.
• The rent amount and currency. Under Law 7527, residential leases run a minimum of three years regardless of what the contract says, dollar-denominated rent stays fixed for the term, and colón rent may only rise once a year with inflation.
• The deposit amount (customarily one month's rent) and the conditions and timeline for returning it.
• Who pays which utilities, an inventory of furnishings for furnished units, and house or condo rules.
• Signatures from both parties — and for extra security, many tenants ask that signatures be authenticated by a notary.

A landlord who refuses to sign anything, or pushes a contract with no property details and no ID numbers, is telling you everything you need to know.

Red flags checklist: when should I walk away?

• Rent is 30–50% below comparable listings in the same area.
• The owner is "abroad" and cannot show the property — but wants money to hold it.
• WhatsApp-only contact; refuses an in-person visit or a live video walkthrough.
• Pressure to pay today because "three other people are interested."
• Payment requested via Western Union, MoneyGram, gift cards, or crypto.
• The payment account is under a different name than the landlord's.
• Refuses to share the folio real number or show a cédula that matches the registry.
• The same photos appear in other listings (reverse image search finds them).
• No written contract, or a vague one-pager with no IDs or property details.
• Asks for deposit plus first month plus extra "fees" before any viewing.
• The listing's phone number or email changes mid-conversation.
• "I'll mail you the keys after the transfer."

One red flag is a reason to slow down and verify. Two or more is a reason to walk away — there will always be another property.

What should I do if I already sent money?

Act fast. Call your bank (or the app you used for SINPE) immediately and ask them to flag or attempt to reverse the transfer — minutes matter. File a formal complaint (denuncia) with the OIJ, in person at any office or through their confidential line 800-8000-645, bringing every screenshot, receipt, phone number, and account number you have. Report the listing and profile to the platform where you found it so the ad comes down before it catches someone else. Recovery is unfortunately difficult once money has moved — which is exactly why the verification steps above are worth the extra day or two.

Is there a way to skip the guesswork entirely?

Verification is exactly the problem EasyRent was built to solve. Before a property goes live on our marketplace, we verify the listing and its documentation — so what you see is a real property, offered by the person with the right to rent it. Browse over 200 verified properties across Costa Rica, and even then, keep this guide handy: view before you pay, verify before you sign, and keep every colón traceable. That habit costs nothing and protects everything.