Required Visa- true or false?

Contact the State department. Sounds very odd especially the 1000 dollars. Maybe a scam.

False, at least for Americans. See U.S. Dept of State info here.

FALSE

No visa is required from US national visiting for tourism purposes up to 90 days. The only requirement is that the passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the date of entry (6 months are recommended).

If someone had to pay $1000 for a visa, it sounds like a scam. Not even before the fall of Communism it cost that much. My American wife, when I was living in Italy, did need a visa to enter what was then Yugoslavia, but the visa was given at the border and it was either free or a very small amount otherwise we would not have driven into it as many times as we did.

But you can always call the Croatian Embassy in the US and inquire for yourself.
http://us.mvep.hr/en/

I personally have no plans for travel in the next year. I told them it wasn't true, but they were concerned it was. They were given a website to get current information but hadn't looked into it yet. I thought it was strange and had never heard it before so I figured you all would know. It just doesn't make sense, right?

the people you met have friends who were scammed and robbed.

I think they were scammed too,,,

This story sounds like a perfect example of the old saying "there's a sucker born every minute". Most likely this scam was perpetrated by someone with a fertile imagination who saw an opportunity to take advantage of the current immigrant situation. This would seem to fit the No. 1 warning in the Lonely Planet Top Travel Scams.....

"Fake Police - Sometimes also the real police, they’ll demand to see your passport and find something wrong with your visa, but then suggest your troubles will all be over if you pay a fine. To them. In cash. Right now. Standing your ground and offering to accompany them to the station will usually see the error 'excused'."

Before posting here I verified the current Croatia entry status on the Government of Canada website, which was updated today, and it states, "Tourist visa: Not required for stays up to 90 days." Even if the subjects of the story were from a country where a Visa was required, I highly doubt that the cost would be $1000. This scenario doesn't pass the "smell test", so these individuals were basically robbed!

Thanks for the info!

I told the women about this website so I hope they see this post and get the correct information.