Crime in Ecuador is not all local, nor is it just petty theft.
A recent post on another forum speaks of a robbery in Quito, on the street, with the victim being threatened with broken bottles and robbed of cash. The victim is an American as well as an Ecuadorian developer which he does not mention.
Bad luck, stupidity and karma can catch up with you at times when you're not careful in Ecuador as evidenced by this man's ill fortune. I am sorry this person had to endure that situation. I shared something similar. Although less violent, the cost and repercussions were personally quite stunning both physically and financially.
I purchased a new home in Ecuador and placed a large deposit on it via information obtained via the Internet and extensive research, photos and conversations via Skype, phone and emails.
As it turned out it had been previously sold, rolled over, sold to me and then resold again while I had a deposit on it and was prepared to make a full and final and payment on upon my arrival in Ecuador.
This is a new development and 'supposed' upscale development that the victim of robbery is 'very' familiar with. He owns it.
This is also a very old scheme. 'Rolling Over' homes by developers is nothing new and sadly it's working very well in Ecuador as I type this email/post. I am, and was embarrassed to be part of this old ruse. I got nailed, but it gets even better? I even promoted this development on several forums prior to my exile. ( Apologies to those I disagreed with. You were right! )
Ironically while purchasing this home in Ecuador and while in Manta and Bahia shopping for furnishings for the home I suspiciously fell ill and was perhaps poisoned according to the doctor in Quito, requiring an extra 4 days in Quito and restricted to a hotel room before returning to the U.S., at great expense.
I lost my 'supposed' home in Ecuador, my expenses and my time, ruining what was to be a life changing trip that was well thought out and well planned for. After searching in Belize, Nassau and Mexico in 2010 I had decided on this home in Ecuador. I thought I had investigated all angles. I was wrong. Ultimately it's all about who you are dealing with and who they are. All buyers be wary, careful and diligent in your dealings.
I enjoyed Ecuador and their people and I will be returning soon. A beautiful place with wonderful people and many legitimate opportunities, beautiful homes and incredible microclimates that will suit anyones tastes or monetary restrictions. Rich or poor, your quality of life can be very rewarding here.
While I was ill and restricted to my room in Quito the hotel staff looked after me, checked on me throughout each day, and made sure I was well cared for. They are now my friends and I look forward to seeing them again soon. These are the people of Ecuador that I went to see, meet and live among.
What I did NOT enjoy was some of the expat developers taking advantage of people looking for a future home and new lifestyles, some involving children, making it even more morally rehensible in their representations of what were homes that honestly were not available, only used as bait to sell other properties/lots that were not yet built and indeed 'rolling' them over for more profit. The phrase 'Bait and Switch' also comes to mind.
The home I 'purchased' has now been sold 3 times that I know of with no one living there as yet! It is inhabitable and unfinished. (But quite beautiful in pictures and on the Internet from the outside), begging for a deposit of which I provided 'one' of apparently several.
For anyone wanting to move to Ecuador be very careful with not only the local criminals but expats/developers that are now there as well, taking advantage of a situation that they know is difficult for visitors and prospective buyers to deal with in adverse situations in a foreign country. They are criminals in their own right with much more than this developers paltry $35 at risk, they do not just carry broken bottles, but dreams and promises that will not be fullfilled.
Foreign developers are taking great advantage of Ecuador now, some legitimate, many not. Watch out for 'Pre Construction' sales, developments with seemingly many 'sold' lots but only a few built homes? Look out.
Developments on the Internet showing all of their lots, "Sold" with only a few left, hurry and buy now? They are not sold. Not even close. They are desperate for sales, only showing lots as 'Sold' to try and enhance their developments value and trying to fuel more interest and ultimately deposits and sales on bare lots and a promise of the future which may well not happen.
You will see swimming pools, tennis courts and clubhouse's on their plans. They aren't there and they won't be for years if at all in many cases. Many will simply walk off their development with deposits and payments in hand and their promises in the wind.
An entryway monument, gate and a few model homes and casitas will be all that's left. You're out in the cold, (Or warm?).
You can be robbed on the street for $35.00 as CocoBeachLarry was, or you can be robbed over the Internet for $1,000.00's of dollars just as easily before even leaving your home in the U.S. or elsewhere, arriving to a promise with a dead end and possibly some severe unexplained health problems as I did.
Future folks wanting to move to Ecuador, buyers and investors, be wary. Be careful and do your homework ahead of time when looking towards purchasing property in Ecuador. A Real Estate expert with long local history in Ecuador is invaluable as is a great attorney that specializes in Real Estate and relocation.
I believed I had done my homework. It wasn't enough.
Sharks are not just in the water, nor are thieves all Ecuadorian's with broken shards of glass bottles.
Para su salud y buena fortuna,
Mark
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