Retired woman loses R$37 million in fake investment platform scam; police carry out operation in RS and SP

Police also obtained court orders blocking 54 bank accounts. The director of the State Department for the Repression of Cybercrimes (DERCC), delegate Eibert Moreira Neto, states that the idea is to break the scheme from the leaders: "Our operation aims to reach not only the operational layer of the scheme, which are people who mislead the victim, but also attack the top layer, which provides the means for the crime to happen", he says. How the scam worked According to the investigation, the victim was included in messaging groups that simulated legitimate study and investment communities in the financial market. In the groups, there were supposed experts, assistants and other participants who interacted in a coordinated way to create an appearance of professionalism and security. Those investigated presented market analyses, financial guidelines and apparently positive results. As a result, the victim was convinced that the investments were making a profit and began to make increasingly larger contributions. According to the police, when the retiree tried to withdraw the money, however, the withdrawals were blocked. From then on, new charges began to appear, presented as fees, taxes or amounts necessary to release the assets. With each payment, a new justification was presented, leading the victim to continue transferring money in an attempt to recover the amounts already invested. The strategy is known internationally as "pig butchering", or "pig slaughter scam". In this type of fraud, criminals gradually build a relationship of trust with the victim before inducing them to hand over increasingly larger sums. The police identified at least 140 potential victims inserted in digital environments related to the same dynamics, in addition to similar fraud records associated with the financial structures investigated. Bank manager among targets Another aspect of the investigation involves possible connections with people linked to the banking system. The manager of a traditional Brazilian bank is among those targeted for arrest. This occurs after the investigation discovered that, of the first 25 corporate recipients of the amounts transferred by the main victim, 24 had accounts at the same financial institution, according to the Civil Police. After entering the first bank accounts, the amounts were distributed to other companies and financial intermediaries until they were transformed into cryptocurrencies. Operation Criptoabate is the result of an investigation that lasted one year and six months and involved banking and telematics analysis, financial intelligence, cyber investigation techniques and tracking of virtual assets. From now on, the police intend to analyze the seized material, identify new possible victims and those involved and locate assets and valuables that can be recovered. The Civil Police warns of promises of extraordinary profitability, investment platforms without verifiable credentials and, mainly, requests for new deposits to release money that would have already been invested. VIDEOS: Everything about RS