Warden Message: Bolivia Kidnapping Trend

CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS
Americas - Bolivia
1 Oct 2009

 

U.S. Embassy La Paz issued the following Warden Message on October 1:

This warden message is being issued to inform U.S. citizens traveling to and residing in Bolivia that La Paz continues to be plagued with kidnapping incidents.  Most incidents are not reported to police due to fear of retaliation from the victim's kidnappers.  We request that all U.S. citizens take the extra time to read and apply the following recommendations.
 
Express Kidnappings occur in La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and other large cities. The areas in La Paz where these crimes most commonly occur include Plaza Humbolt (in the Zona Sur), Plaza Abaroa, Plaza del Estudiante, and Plaza Isabel La Católica (all in the downtown section of the city).
 
These incidents typically occur when the victim boards a taxi in which the driver is an accomplice.  Once the victim is inside, additional persons (the kidnappers) board the vehicle.  At this point, the victim is robbed of his belongings and/or driven to an ATM machine where he is forced to provide his PIN numbers for debit and credit card withdrawals.  In a few incidents, the victim has been seriously injured or held for several days until a ransom was paid.
 
Recommendations: Always call for a radio taxi.  Before entering the taxi, request that the driver call his/her dispatcher to confirm your name.  Finally, use good judgment - especially if alcohol has been consumed.
 
U.S. citizens residing or traveling in Bolivia are encouraged to register and update their contact information at the U.S. Embassy in La Paz and/or the U.S. consular agencies in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, Bolivia.  Registration may be done online and can be done in advance of travel.  Information on registering may be found at the Department of State's Consular Affairs website: https://travelregistration.state.gov.
 
For the latest security information, U.S. citizens traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's internet website at http://travel.state.gov where the current worldwide caution, travel warnings and travel alerts can be found.  Additional information is available in the country specific information for Bolivia at http://travel.state.gov and on the embassy web page at http://bolivia.usembassy.gov.
 
Current information on travel and security in Bolivia may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or, from overseas, 1-202-501-4444.  These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).  U.S. citizens traveling or residing overseas are encouraged to register with the appropriate U.S. embassy or consulate on the State Department's travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov.
 
U.S. citizens may contact the consular section of the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, via e-mail at consularlapaz@state.gov or by telephone at (591-2) 216-8297 during business hours (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or (591-2) 216-8500 after hours and on weekends.  The consular section is located in the U.S. Embassy at 2780 Arce Avenue in La Paz, Bolivia, and is open to the public (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.).  The Santa Cruz consular agency can be reached by telephone at (591-3) 351-3477, and the Cochabamba consular agency can be reached by telephone at (591-4) 411-6313.