Cases of kidnapping are growing using dating app in São Paulo. Criminals lure victims through fake profiles on dating apps. When they arrive at the marked location they are surrendered and taken to captivity where criminals make transfers using Pix. According to a survey by the Record TV agency, this year alone, 28 people were victims in the São Paulo capital and metropolitan region.
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A new type of scam has grown in São Paulo. In it, criminals discover the target’s birthday, as well as other personal data, and send a gift via a deliveryman. When the gift arrives, the deliveryman says that it is necessary to pay a small amount as a delivery fee and that he can only accept card. The victim accepts and makes the payment. It is at this moment that the scam happens: at the time of swiping the card, the deliveryman places high values without the victim realizing it.
Between January and June of this year, almost 63,000 cars were robbed or stolen in São Paulo, which means 23.74% more than in the same period last year. On average, criminals rob or steal a car every six minutes. Of all the nearly 63,000 stolen or stolen cars, just over 20,000 were recovered. According to the Department of Public Security, 63% of cars are not recovered. The destination of unrecovered vehicles is usually the trade of used parts, or also the illegal sale of the most luxurious models.
19/08/2022 – Five men entered an apartment and held a family hostage on Avenida Paulista, West Zone. The São Paulo Public Security Department reported that “the housekeeper of an apartment heard the intercom ring but did not answer. Soon after, the doorbell rang and she was surprised by the perpetrators, two of whom were armed. He even attacked her with a gun.”The suspects fled taking cell phones, accessories, and amounts in several currencies: Reais, Pounds and Euros, in addition to other items.
19/08/2022 – A teacher was held hostage by two men. The victim reported that he arranged a meeting through a dating app, when he was surrendered by two men in the region of Parada de Taipas, in Jardim Rincão, North Zone. Subsequently, the criminals demanded that the man make bank transfers. A witness denounced the action and one of the criminals was arrested by the police.
20/08/2022 – A person was shot in Santana, North Zone. According to police, it would have been an attempted robbery and the victim ended up being shot.
19/08/2022 – São Paulo police arrested two men who were part of a gang that used fake taxis to steal victims’ cards at nightclubs in the capital. According to the police, the suspects accepted the rides and at the time of payment they exchanged the victims’ cards, thus having access to the passwords and making bank transfers, withdrawals, and purchases.
Our analysis:
At the end of the night, people are tired and sometimes tipsy from drinking alcohol. With this make individuals more vulnerable to certain types of scams. The above news – the exchange of cards – is just one of them. It is necessary to be attentive.
- Never let your credit or debit card be handled by other people
- Don’t let your card out of your field of vision
- Take care that no one observes the typing of your password
- Always check the amount before completing the transaction
- Always request the copy of the sales receipt and check the printed purchase value
- Sign up to receive SMS or email notifications for each transaction made with your card. Thus, it is possible to quickly identify a fraudulent transaction
- Beware of bumps or accidental encounters, which could temporarily lead to losing sight of your card
- In cases of “contactless payment”, call the bank to limit the amount or disable this option
- Even if you are in a hurry, always check that the returned card is really yours
- But if you still fall into a scam, the first step is to immediately notify the financial institution and file a report
21/08/2022 – One criminal died and another was injured after an attempted robbery of a military police officer on R. Geraldo Marino, in Brasilândia, North Zone. According to the Military Police, the officer was going to buy a pizza when the two armed criminals walked towards him and announced the robbery. The officer reacted and fired at least four shots towards the criminals.
22/08/2022 – The president of a bus company that provides services in São Paulo was arrested by the Civil Police, accused of being linked to the PCC criminal faction. According to investigations, he would have taken control of the company after threatening former partners and employees and used the company to launder money from the criminal faction. This is the third public transport company investigated by the police for links to organized crime.
22/08/2022 – Criminals tried to steal a luxury car, but the victim fled. Afterwards, they attacked a family who was at the door of a building. Security cameras caught all the action in the Saúde neighborhood, South Zone.
23/08/2022 – Criminals kidnapped and robbed an elderly woman. The victim fell for a scam known as “the fake call for help”. A woman the victim met on the sidewalk posed as a seamstress that would be lost and asking for directions to an address where she would have a job interview. Moments later, a partner of hers appeared saying that he knew where the place was and offered a ride. During the conversation, they announced the robbery. The lady was forced into the car and taken to a bank branch, where she had to withdraw money.
23/08/2022 – Civil Police and the Public Ministry of the State of São Paulo (MP-SP) arrested two men during an operation to investigate the corruption of Lapa Subprefecture employees, West Zone. According to the investigation, the scheme involved demands for undue advantages for the issuance of Authorization Permits for Events in the region.
23/08/2022 – Fake delivery men broke into and robbed a residential building in Lapa, West Zone. The crime took place on R. Croata, around 15h. According to a resident, one of the men said he would deliver a refrigerator. The doorman allowed entry into the building. Another appeared at the entrance and informed that he would assist in the delivery of the goods. This way, he was also able to enter the building, where at least two properties were stolen.
23/08/2022 – A 19-year-old from Brasília came to São Paulo to go to parties with friends he met on the internet. They were in the car in Cidade Tiradentes, East Zone, when they were approached by 5 criminals. The criminals assaulted the victim, stole his cell phone, wallet, clothes and managed to transfer a large amount of money from his account. He was released the next day and found by a Metropolitan Civil Guard.
24/08/2022 – An intense shootinng between criminals and the police took place on Avenida Tancredo Neves, in Heliópolis, South Zone. A couple of criminals were in a fake police car and reacted to the approach of civil police. They used the vehicle to commit crimes such as home robberies and kidnappings. The criminals also wore police uniforms and drove a silver Chevrolet model car, with objects characteristic of a police car.
24/08/2022 – Criminals in a stolen car closed off a driver and took the luxury vehicle she was driving. The crime took place on R. Orlando Murgel, in the Jabaquara region, South Zone, around 13h00, and was caught by security cameras. The criminals forced the victim to get out of the vehicle she was driving. Armed, they demanded the passenger door open and the driver to start the engine. The suspects later fled with the victim’s vehicle and left her on the sidewalk. The car used in the attack, which was also stolen, was abandoned at the scene.
24/08/2022 – The Civil Police arrested two men involved in a false call center scheme. They stole R$ 50,000 from the account of an 80-year-old man. According to the State Department of Criminal Investigations (Deic), the scam worked in a property in Saúde neighborhood, South Zone. The duo convinced the victims, who believed they were talking to bank employees, to provide data, passwords and even the magnetic card.
