Most common scams in Dominican Republic

Interesting topic!

My first comment is about trust. It MUST BE EARNED here. Do not trust anyone until you have some real experience with them.  AND whenever possible  work with people referred to you. Always keep your eyes open and pay attention to your gut feelings. IF it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

That said, my worst experiences have been with other expats, not locals. So the  trust comment applies across the board. 

Common scams, quoting a job, taking the money and disappearing. NEVER EVER, pay for a job upfront.  Often I will go buy materials  myself or with the  contractor so I know what they actually cost. 

NEVER pay for all of the job up front.  Period. 

In most  large stores the price is the price. Smaller stores are more often negotiable.   Spend some time understanding prices, understand guarantees as well.  I just had a wonderful experience with Corripio who not only had the best price in the market, also  had incredible service.

I think the biggest scams to be aware of are involving real estate. ALWAYS have your own lawyer, not theirs. ALWAYS double check and confirm everything. ALWAYS make sure YOU understand the contract  clearly before signing. 

There are a ton of small scams out there.  Carros publico overcharging because you are a tourist.  Prices going up when they see you are an expat.  Knowing prices will help avoid a lot of this.  I have a ton of stories of  locals realizing too late that I am not just off the boat! 

I also will often use someone I trust  to go and negotiate an item for me!  Mike Logan (Cruffman) is a great example of this. He has earned my trust. I have allso had someone working with me over 12 years who will go an negotiate anything I want, then oversee installation etc.  Often they never see my face.

A HUGE reason  to learn Spanish is to avoid some or all of this!!!!  It is harder to get  scammed when you understand what is going on.

Well we know about scams! Our trusted attorney took funds for residency papers and kept telling me he was workinng on it...After a very long time, at least a year we decided to pack up. I asked for all my documentation. Guess what? The only thing in my file was the documents that were apostilled! No refund given, nada!

The second time was buying land and building a small house. The seller was waiting on the deslinde. Well our contract stated that after certain time period if no papers she had to reiburse us double. I finally got a great new attorney who investigated and discovered her fraud which was that she had never posted our purchase and was putting our property's deslinde in her name. My attorney explained that IF that had happened she would have owned our home and everything in it. She could have (would have) even kept our furniture! He caught it in time thank God! We sold it soon after that as we had decided to go back where we came from....

Please be careful when buying or seeking a lawyer!

@planner

You can not trust anyone anywhere, but Dominicans (some) only see a dollar sign $ when it comes to foreigners. I am a Dominican of birth but grew up in the State. I returned after 50 years, and it was the worst experience of my entire life. After seven years, I am now recuperating from the tragedy of losing so much money. I am not saying it was completely their fault, but as a woman, I was blindsided and taken advantage of--not only business-wise but also on building what I thought was my dream home. Please be careful and don't think just because they say they are Christians that they have a heart. Here,  only money talks.

The interesting thing is locals do not consider it "stealing", since that is against their Christianity. They prefer to think they are just outsmarting you (i.e. if you do not know any better that's your fault). Sadly this is why I do not hire anyone here unless I absolutely have to. If your transaction involves a large sum of money hire a reputable lawyer.

@Fatima Louis

I am sorry for your experience.  Thank you for showing it doesn't just happen to expats!   

@RockyM

Yes the  whole concept of christianity makes me  cringe.  Using - I am Christian therefore trustworthy - is a clear red flag for me!   It has nothing at all to do with creating   trust in you. In fact, the opposite happens to me.

I must say we did meet some good honest people while there...One guy who "adopted" us along with his whole family. He was honest and only worked with expats. He learned early he said that if you were fair and honest with them they treated you the same. He built our house and 5 yrs after leaving we are still very close so we have known him for 9 yrs. We stay in regular contact too. Good builder especially of pools...

@planner

Lol! Never ever pay anyone up front full price! Not there not here! Human nature is weak and you will be taken for an unpleasant ride!

I would only ever do that with someone I knew and trusted beyond any reasonable doubt! If they need it all up front in my experience here its because they are in debt somewhere and those funds will maybe go to pay that or maybe a ticket out of town!

My tip: Don’t go to the Dominican Republic—period. This was one of the reasons I sold my condo and moved back to the States. The Dominican Republic is a mess. The police and lawyers don’t care; their laws are very different from American laws. Don’t waste your time buying property there. Everybody is just looking for a handout. And if you don’t speak Spanish, stay far away—they’ll really take advantage of you. Dominican Republic is a crappy place—they’re like a bunch of “crabs in a bucket” trying to pull each other down. You’ve been warned.

@janinecrenshaw

Wow you clearly had a bad experience. I am really sorry.

Doesn't give anyone the right to denigrate the whole country though.

My experience has been only in Punta Cana where I hang out in winter months.  While I love this place, the weather and the natural beauty, I find there is a kind of desperation here by locals and non-locals, people that live and work here.  Its like they dont know how to conduct themselves morally or they dont understand what that is or dont care.

They never have enough money so look for ways to get some from you. They might say, lets go shopping and then they ask you to buy them things.  Or they suggest you go with them to eat dinner at a nice place.  They bring friends and when the bill arrives, you are expected to pay for the entire bill, as if you invited them all to come at your expense.  If you complain they get insulted and act as if you are some kind of cheap person.  Its ok once but not multiple times.  The best advice I got was to stick with your own kind, same culture, same age, same language.  Sure this limits your experience but also your losses or abuses.   

@Karin1

The morale of your feedback is choose your friends wisely no matter where you are in the world. It's Unfortunate thats been your  personal experience as mine "23 years here" is so much different.

I'm having a bit of a wry grin thinking of the times I've been burned by "my own kind" in a foreign country. (Give it enough time and almost anything can come to seem funny, but some of 'em were pretty spectacular when they happened.)

If it's what works for you, it's what works for you. But I don't think there's any silver bullet. You always have to keep your wits about you ... and be lucky.

Hello everyone,

Thank you all so much for taking the time to share your experiences, both good and bad, as well as your valuable tips and advice. Everything you have shared above will surely be helpful for newcomers and for those planning to relocate to the Dominican Republic.

Keep the conversation going, your input is truly appreciated!

Cheers,

Cheryl

@Karin1

I have had way more issues "with my own kind" then I have ever had with locals.   I totally understand your comments though about the expectations.  Sadly we are seen as rich regardless of what we do or do not have.   We must manage all expectations. I find myself often having to say,  no!  I am not paying for  XXX. I am not inviting you or your family etc.   

Its difficult and uncomfortable to do!  It sure is.

I think the absence of "law and order" here makes it easier for anyone to scam you!

1) A German expat sold us incompatible solar equipment and skipped town before the container with all our equipment arrived.

2) An Italian expat failed to deliver the kitchen she designed and we agreed to. Fortunately, our final payment is not due until the job is finished. It's been three years, and it's still not finished, so they haven't gotten that last payment!

3) Two different UK expats represented themselves as being far more experienced builders than they actually were. Out of all the estimates we received, theirs were the lowest, but I now know it was due to their lack of knowledge and experience, combined with a plan to overrun the budget at every turn.

4) Several immigration attorneys we spoke to early on gave us incorrect information, telling us what they thought we wanted to hear.

5) Insurance companies reject claims for invalid reasons - a) I once went to the doctor for an ear infection, a 4000 DOP claim, and they said they needed a full medical history; b) hubby got a steroid shot for back pain before his spinal surgery and they denied the claim by saying we didn't have dental coverage; c) the latest is declaring the bank accounts we've been using for reimbursement for years are no longer valid and sending checks, hoping we will never get them or cash them.

Keep in mind that a lot of expats in DR are here because they are running from something! Many see this as the wild west, where anything goes.

@Karin1

The locals, at least around here, believe we white ex-pats (gringos if you will, although I despise the term) have literally unlimited funds. I've had locals stare at me in disbelief when I have indicated I don't have enough cash on hand to pay for xyz, or I am not willing to pay. My gardener treats me this way and he KNOWS for a fact I don't have a money tree in my yard.  😆 These folks really don't understand that we have also worked very hard for our money. Denise and I spent a career in corporate America and I can assure you we earned every pay check. So I'm sorry I don't want to "make it rain" for people who simply expect it from us.

Reminds me of last weekend! Neighbor  took it on himself to clean the outside of my property.   Then he  demanded money, not from me,  but from a visitor at my house.  Not knowing my visitor gave him   a few bucks.  Next day  same guy is back demanding I honor our agreement.  Dude, you never spoke with me, you never  had an agreement with me, I never hired you to do anything! NO I am not paying you.  He then called me a bunch of  names.  🤣🤣🤣

A few years ago, driving on Highway 5 to SD, we heard a big bang as if something had hit our car.  Shortly afterwards, two men pulled alongside us, motioning frantically towards the back of the vehicle.  We pulled over, and they followed us.

One of them spoke English and led me to the rear of the car.  Getting down on his knees, he reached towards the rear axle and pulled a u-joint out, acting as if it were hot.  He then said we needed a repair, and we could follow him to his friend's shop for the work to be done.  He was pretty convincing and seemed sincere, but when he pulled off the dirt road onto the highway, we continued quickly onward. 

I'm not saying there are no good Samaritans here.  I'm not sure if we would have been robbed or just ended up paying for a fake repair, but always be cautious! 

This was a scam they ran for several months  always moving their areas around!   I was warned about this about   6 years ago!

They are always so confident when they're wrong

@janinecrenshaw 100%

Expats - especially americans - are at fault for a lot of the scammy attitudes when they want to pretend like they're rich and throw money around and OVERPAY for everything.  They're grooming otherwise decent workers to be lazy, demand money without doing anything,

and live complaining about having to work.

STOP OVERPAYING !!!

YOU'RE RUINING IT FOR THE REST OF US !!

@Conifer thank you for your input. 

Perhaps you can assist us newbies to the country by providing us with prices and/or suggestions for what we should be paying for specific services and how much we should be tipping or even if we should be tipping?

I thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

Have a grand day

Damion

@Conifer

The reality is that often we have to pay what we are charged!  For example, try to find a plumber in Las Terrenas that will not attempt to overcharge you if you live in a house or drive a car, which locals interpret as "wealthy". That's just how it works here. Sorry we are "ruining for you".

Another newbie (actually, I'm a few weeks behind Ondami and have been following their helpful bread-crumb trail for awhile now ... chiming in to say that I would find a discussion of tipping helpful, too. I cringe whenever I leave a lower-than-accustomed tip -- especially when I see people working their tails off in the heat -- but I am conscious of not wanting to throw things [any more] off balance [than they already are]. That's for everybody's sake, not just for those of us looking for good prices.

We might get farther if we kept the emotions out of it, and assumed as little as possible about the other guy's motivations. Supply-and-demand is a tricky animal, people are what they are, and economically speaking we're living in a weird multiverse. Knowing more -- in as dry and objective a way as possible -- about what different groups' expectations are, and what our options are, could be super helpful.

Also, not every behavior you or I finds obnoxious is a scam, and it might be helpful to keep the two topics separate. FWIW!

@RockyM  You will often be “charged” and expected to negotiate down!  That’s how real dominicans do it!  When you don’t land workers in reality, they’ll keep raising the prices and thinking they deserve money for mediocre jobs!  And they don’t care if they don’t see you again.

Tipping is peanuts.  I’m not losing sleep over 5% or 10% or 15% of my restaurant bill.   It’s the work from the lady that cleans the house or from the guy who washes the car, or from the delivery service or chauffeur or the guy who does maintenance on the A/C .    That’s what worries me.

$300 for a roundtrip from Punta Cana to Sto Domingo in my own car with my own gas, is a robbery.  But that’s the going rate now, because people don’t fight back.

tipping:  TIP is included in your restaurant bill !!   Jesus.  and if the worker is complaining that they’re not earning enough money then their boss should pay them a fair wage they shouldn’t rely on us who are already paying (overpaying) for served food.  When I receive good service, I’ll add 10% over my bill and that’s already a 20% total tip, which is more than enough. I tip in cash and I give it straight to the waiter and I tell them that that’s specifically for them.  I don’t know what they do after and have no control over that, so whatever.  When it’s excellent service, the tip is greater.  But I’ve had it with Americans who tip-shame you. if the service wasn’t good why am I tipping??   THAT’s MY POINT!   The average Dominican doesn’t add tip at all because the tip is already included in your bill and because the service is mediocre and therefore a HANDOUT is not deserved.  They know what’s up!

cleaning service in punta cana that is a GOOD job should be 1500 pesos per day.  1800 if it’s a great job.  Fight me!

a wonderful cleaning that includes laundry and windows from 8am-5pm can be 2000 pesos and that’s very generous and you’re risking being played for a fool next time with stories of 4 children and marital issues and wanting to leave their fulltime job “because they’re being mistreated” which is more often than not, a manipulation tactic and LIES.  A baited hook to see if you’ll bite.

a car wash should be 300-400 pesos, maybe 600-700 if they wax and shine or vacuum the inside.

an hour errand by someone in a moto should be 400-500 pesos and that is generous.

AC maintenance?  You tell me what you’re paying,

i’m fed up with overpaying for mediocrity and I don’t know what to do about it!

Handouts are expected and it didn’t use to be this way!

The other side of the coin is that "yes" up north and tourists areas or large expat percence,  you tend to pay more for services and goods, this has been my experience over the last 20 years. 

@Conifer

When they see the car, the house and/or my complexion they charge more. Period. There is no negotiating, I understand  the barter culture and all that but it doesn't work, at least where I am. Again, sorry for your troubles.

@Conifer

BTW, this phenomenon of price creep is happening all over the world, not just in your bubble. We have looked at Panama and Portugal as next destinations for us and guess what, the foreigners are driving up the cost of living for locals. And it is not just "Americans" as you indicate as the problem. Price increases in Europe are attributed to Chinese and Russian investors obtaining golden visas. So, not a localized problem. All I have to say on this.

As far as actual scams go, I think I had a small one today. I requested an Uber to take me to the Expreso Romana bus terminal near Enriquillo Park (yes, I'm sure I plugged it in right) and the driver took me instead to the Sichoem terminal ("mumble mumble mas seguro mumble mumble"). I don't think this was by mistake. Both the Uber guy and a uniformed Sichoem employee looked me in the eye and assured me the two are the same company. But they're not (...right?? I mean, they have facilities a block and a half apart, and totally different signs)

The Parque Enriquillo area is confusing (and visually/aurally overwhelming) enough to a newbie, and given the lack of detailed / up to date information about either bus company online, I imagine that might work on some people -- but surely they'd figure it out before long and complain? It seems like a lot of trouble just to get one extra customer.

I just said thankyouhaveaniceday, walked over to the park and found a shady bench  where I could take out the map I had screen shot, and found the "right" bus station pretty easily.

I don't suppose it would have been a tragedy if I'd gone with the "wrong" one, I assume they're both legit (...right?), but ick.

Fortunately I don't have to go anywhere till next week, I just wanted to scope it out in advance, and now I'm glad I did.

The moral of the story to me was don't let yourself be rushed. And inform yourself as much as you can in advance (even if the online info seems dubious, it's better to have the extra data points). And it's better to look like a clueless gringa than be an even more clueless one and go along with something you don't understand.

LOL good adventure.

And if I totally misunderstood everything that happened today, feel free to tell me!

Lets be clear that the 10% tip or gratuity is often taken by the owners of the establishment. DO NOT  assume that any server gets any of it.   Tip for service as you see fit. Please refrain from name calling  of any group of people. Dont like what they do?  Look away.

Yes, prepare, research and plan,   know prices,  understand routes as much as possible.

If you avoid using a lawyer, you will avoid the most costly and frustrating scams in the DR. 

I avoid lawyers like the plague they are.

People will say thay can do a job for you  and they are completely inept at it.  Get references and see their work they did for others.

Money changers on the street might cheat you.  Use Caribe Express or Western Union to change money. Banks don't change at good rates.

Police wil stop you and ask for money. Especially around the holidays.

Someone might be tapped into your electric meter stealing power from you.

Paying gringo price for public transport and other things. Others have pointed that out.

None of the above are as bad as dealing with lawyers - not even close.

Cannot disagree with this.  Lawyers are not all the same!

@Cheryl

I am moving into a new community in Nov 2025. The community name is Paraiso Del Rey in Bavaro Veron.  I am so confused about what is being said about lawyers.  I have Guzman Ariza who is handling all of my legal work including my Retirement/Pension passport. I was told to hire a lawyer to help you and now I am hearing bad news about lawyer. Please reply.

@pharrison742

There are some good ones here. We also use Guzman Ariza. They are a bit costly but probably the best you will find in the DR. They've been around a long time and appear legit. My impression is sole proprietors are the issue most often since they answer to no one. (e.g. no verified law degree, etc.)

@pharrison742

Guzman Ariza is a very well know firm here.  They are one of the best.  Previous comments are about  all lawyers not being the same!  There are some sole practitioners who can and will promise you the world and never deliver!