Extortion complaints linked to informal gota a gota loans in Costa Rica reached a record 935 in 2025, more than double the 427 filed in 2022, according to data from the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ). The trend has not eased this year. The OIJ’s criminal analysis unit recorded 840 complaints from January through Oct. 15, 2026, leaving 95 cases short of last year’s total with two and a half months still to go.
Michael Soto, the OIJ’s interim director, described gota a gota lending as a well-established criminal phenomenon. He also said that people file few complaints, which means the official figures likely understate the scale of the problem. The loans are typically offered without paperwork, guarantors or credit checks, often to people who need cash quickly for medical costs, utility bills or food. Lenders collect payments every day and charge interest that borrowers frequently cannot pay down, turning a small loan into a debt with no clear end.
When payments fall short, collectors turn to intimidation, according to the OIJ. Victims have reported threats at their homes, harassing phone calls and, in some cases, physical attacks. Authorities say the groups also pursue relatives when a borrower cannot pay. Investigators link the organized groups behind the loans to drug trafficking and money laundering. In October, a national team defender was among four people detained in a gota a gota extortion investigation, a case that remains at the investigative stage.
Authorities have also identified a newer variant known as chorro a chorro. It involves loans of millions of colones to borrowers with higher incomes, rather than to people facing an emergency. The yearly figures show the sharpest jump between 2022 and 2023, when complaints rose from 427 to 864. They dipped slightly to 857 in 2024 before reaching the 2025 high.
Across the five years, complaints have been highest in August, September and October, and lowest in December and February. Authorities urge anyone being pressured by an informal lender not to give in to threats and to report the case to the OIJ as soon as possible. Knowing the warning signs of a gota a gota loan can help people avoid the trap before it starts.
