Q COSTA RICA — Aware that cybercriminals exploit public information to commit crimes, the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones (TSE) — Supreme Electoral Tribunal — that maintains the Civil Registry databases has agreed to modify the consultations on its website.
Currently, civil records inquiries on the TSE website are publicly accessible. Within 45 calendar days, on August 24, the TSE will require users to create a user account to access the information, while certain data will be anonymized.
According to the TSE, this change will allow for traceability of the information reviewed. In this way, the TSE seeks to do its part in the fight against online scams, identity theft, phishing, vishing (voice phishing), and smishing (deceptive text messages).
“Given that in the current context this information could be used to build family, relational, and contextual profiles for criminal purposes, the magistrates of the TSE reached an agreement and issued instructions for the following adjustments to be made to the data contained on the website within a maximum of 45 days,” the TSE stated.
Among the information that will be kept private from now on is that related to marriages and divorces. Web searches will only display the corresponding history, without any personal details of third parties. Information about individuals’ children will also be removed from public data.
With the growth of e-commerce and easier banking, online scams have seen a significant increase since 2022, when 3,136 complaints were reported to the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ).
Since then, the problem has continued to grow exponentially, and by 2025, police authorities had recorded 10,027 cases, representing a 41% increase compared to the previous year.
The worst part is that if the current growth rate continues, by the end of this year, online scams will become the country’s leading crime, surpassing robberies, thefts, and simple fraud, which until the end of last year held the top three positions in the crime ranking.
Thus, cell phones are one step closer to being more dangerous than walking at night in a dangerous neighborhood.
In fact, reports of this type of crime increased from 19 to 27 per day between 2024 and 2025.
These stark statistics reveal a shift in consumption patterns and crime in the country, according to experts, who point out that behind each case is a person with an empty bank account or debts they didn’t incur.
The methods cybercriminals use to obtain users’ passwords vary in complexity and technical expertise, and are constantly evolving.
However, in general, it is very common for phone users to receive messages or emails warning them that a package is being held at Correos de Costa Rica (Costa Rica’s postal service), or that there is a problem with an electronic payment at the Ministry of Finance. These are frequent scams.
In this regard, the OIJ has clearly identified the main scams and warns users that skepticism is vital throughout this process.
To commit their crimes, criminals use social engineering techniques and impersonate public entities or well-known companies.
Calls, emails, text messages, and even WhatsApp are among the methods used, with the goal of tricking victims into providing sensitive information about their bank accounts or even their bank card PIN.
Another common way to steal passwords is through the use of malware, which activates once the user’s device has been compromised. In these cases, there is no specific deception or warning message, but the theft occurs in the background, often without the victim noticing.
These are the adjustments the TSE will implement:
- Marriage and divorce records will continue to appear in inquiries, but will no longer display personal information of third parties.
- Physical certificates issued at the main office and regional offices will retain complete information.
- Online inquiries will no longer display data related to individuals’ children.
- Separate access profiles will be created for lawyers, notaries, and officials or institutions that, due to their legal functions, require access to more extensive information. These special access profiles must be authorized by the TSE.