While it’s common sense to report a lost child to the Police, there’s a chain message about this circulating whatsapp just to create undue fear. The Ministry of Security asks us to stop its spread so as not to generate more alarm among the public.
The message shows a label that says “National Police Reports” and has a logo of the Costa Rican Public Force. The same has been seen in other Spanish speaking countries with the logos changed out to have that of the Police from Spain and from the Dominican Republic.
The warning is for those who go out at night. It says that if you are leaving school or work and see a kid alone crying on the street, with an address in hand, don’t take them to that address, rather take them to the Police or call the Police.
This idea has been circulating the Internet for 10 years, and Costa Rica since 2017. It’s a lie. This is not an active scam being used for kidnapping, robbery, and rape, as the message says. It’s a hoax. It’s what the Ministry of Security calls a “non-existent threat.”
