The term Gringo is a noun which is usually synonymous with a person from the United or any foreigner. We have invented a verb from the word gringo which is “gringoed. “What does it mean?

A lot of foreigners complain about the Costa Ricans taking advantage of them in some cases. A lot of these complaints are based on a lack of understanding of the culture and above all not knowing the language. By not learning Spanish you will always be an outsider and never be able to get the most of out living in a foreign country. You will lead sort of a half-ass existence.”

Unfortunately most Americans and Canadians who come don’t speak Spanish and logically gravitate to fellow English speakers because they are the easiest to met. This is good because people can make a lot of new friends this way. This problem is that many of their fellow English speakers are in business here and some of them are dishonest. Just because he or she speaks good English does not make the individual a good person. Over the years, many unscrupulous individuals have set up shop here. We have heard of naive foreigners losing their hard-earned savings to ingenious schemes. Con men prey on newcomers. One crook bilked countless people out of their money by selling a series of non-existent gold mines here and abroad. The guy is still walking the streets today and dreaming up new ways to make money.

One “dangerous breed of animal” you may encounter are a few foreigners between 30 and 60 years of age who are in business but do not have pensions. Most of these people are struggling to survive and have to really hustle to make a living in Costa Rica. Some of them are desperate and will go to almost any means to make money. They may even have a legitimate business but most certainly try to take advantage of you to make a few extra dollars. The majority of complaints we hear concerning people being “ripped off” or pressured into buying real estate are about individuals who fit this description.

So if you decide to retire or invest here be careful of some of the English-speaking expatriates or you may end being “Gringoed.”