28/11/2022 – Two Colombians and a Mexican were arrested for stealing cell phones at the FIFA Fan Fest, in Copacabana, South Zone, during Brazil’s game in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Eleven cell phones were recovered by the police and four victims were identified.
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29/11/2022 – The Civil Police is investigating a gang of sex workers specialized in robbing, assaulting and doping victims in the “Boa noite, Cinderela” scam, in neighborhoods in the city’s South Zone. On Tuesday (29/11), police carried out an operation to arrest five of the criminals who, after meeting a businessman on a dating app, entered his apartment on Avenida Borges de Medeiros, Lagoa, South Zone, slapped and punched him and took electronic equipment, jewelry, and money. In the property, the victim was still forced to ingest a liquid.
30/11/2022 – The 67-year-old former Flamengo player Nunes had his car stolen on Linha Vermelha, near Pavuna, in the North Zone. In addition to the vehicle, the coach lost a gold necklace and bracelet, passport and work materials. He said he was returning from work when he was approached by eight armed criminals in two white cars.
04/12/2022 – Criminals on a motorcycle robbed the occupants of two different cars on Rua Visconde de Tocantins, in Méier, North Zone. A security camera recorded the robbers’ action. Two men were passing by on a motorcycle, while a couple walked towards their car. Before the couple had any chance to leave, the motorcycle returns and one of the criminals gets out pointing a gun at the passengers. He takes some objects from the couple and delivers them to the accomplice. Then, when they are already leaving, another car appears on the street and the robbers make the second attack.
06/12/2022 – A 28-year-old delivery man was shot in the parking lot of the Shopping Nova América, in Del Castilho, North Zone. He was on his way to a delivery when he and a friend were attacked by criminals stealing around the mall. Even though the victim had delivered the motorcycle and belongings, he was shot in the neck by the criminals.
06/12/2022 – Police officers from the Catete Police Station arrested a man for scam committed against models inside a five-star hotel in Copacabana, South Zone. According to the investigations, the 28-year-old man, who was staying at the place and presented himself as an investor, deceived and caused a loss of at least R$ 22,000 by subtracting credit cards and asking for bank transfers via PIX from two of the victims.
08/12/2022 – Two Portuguese tourists were robbed when they arrived in Copacabana, South Zone. The two went to take a photo of a sculpture in the sand on the beach, when a criminal passed by on a bicycle and took the cell phone from one of them. The Military Police confirmed that a team from the Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) helped a citizen who presented himself as a tourist and reported having had his cell phone stolen.
09/12/2022 – There was a mass robbery at dawn, on the Linha Amarela, near Inhaúma, North Zone. Drivers said that the criminals crossed the lane on foot, near exit 5, on the access to Avenida Pastor Martin Luther King Júnior, and blocked the lane to steal their belongings. At least nine drivers were victims.
10/12/2022 – Criminals stole bullet proof car on Avenida Carlos Peixoto, in Botafogo, South Zone. A security camera caught the criminals’ action, which lasted less than a minute. A businessman was standing at the entrance to his girlfriend’s building, waiting for her and her mother, when the criminals arrived in a black car. They fled taking the vehicle. According to the businessman, even though the vehicle was armored, he did not react for fear that they would do something to his mother and girlfriend, who were already at the gate.
14/12/2022 – A 17-year-old teenager died, and a young man was injured after being attacked by criminals armed with knives in an attempted robbery on walkway 3 of the Linha Amarela Express Road. According to the military police, they were on a motorcycle when they were surprised by the criminals.
14/11/2022 – Civil Police from the Anti-Kidnapping Police Station (DAS) arrested seven members of a gang that practiced scams by telling them a lie, that the victims’ relatives were kidnapped by them. After deceiving the target, criminals demanded payments on transfers via PIX. The arrests were made in Rocinha, a community in the South Zone.
Our Analysis:
The phone rings. The number is not in your phone book, or the call comes without identification. The scam is simple, it works by trial and error and has been causing significant financial losses to the victims, but its greatest impact is psychological, because during the scam the person is hit by high adrenaline discharges and in some cases fear or panic spreads, quickly and permanently even after its end. The fake kidnapping scam is applied throughout Brazil and successfully. The criminal chooses random numbers and begins the search for the ideal victim. In the first lines by tone of voice the script is chosen. If they hear the voice of a mature person, they will say quickly and in an unclear voice “mom, mom I was kidnapped, I was kidnapped…” or “dad, dad I was kidnapped, don’t call the police, do what they say”. If they hear a voice that indicates youth, the word “son or daughter” will be pronounced and then the same person will play the role of the kidnapper and will utter threats and list the demands. Every phrase said by the victim provides information and instrumentalizes the criminal’s dialogue. Aiming at not allowing the victim to be able to process the information clearly and/or locate their relative (allegedly kidnapped), the call is not interrupted or is made in short intervals of one to two minutes. To provide a greater sense of reality, it is common for the scam to be applied by more than one person. In most cases such actions are practiced by prisoners, with enough free time to calmly think about how best to construct their dramatization. At the time of the dialogue, a test value is said at random in order to understand the financial capacity of the victim. The most common way of conducting negotiations is to require victims to make deposits or bank transfers.
15/12/2022 – Civil Police arrested a German who pretended to be security at the US Embassy in Recreio dos Bandeirantes, West Zone, for using a false document and illegally carrying a firearm accessory for restricted use. Investigations began when he had a disagreement with the owner of the apartment where he lived. According to the victim, the foreigner threatened her with a gun. During the investigation, officers discovered that he had no ties to the US government. When the German was at the police station to try to return the weapons, he presented a diplomatic license for carrying a weapon and ended up arrested. At his residence, a rifle, 18 magazines and 233 cartridges of various calibers were found.
16/12/2022 – A Chilean woman was arrested for the crime of theft at Shopping Leblon, South Zone. With her there were two purses that were stolen in restaurants in the shopping center. According to the Military Police, she went to the restaurant well dressed, went unnoticed, and stole the belongings. When the person realized it, everything had already been stolen. Mall security informed military police officers that there was a woman in a suspicious attitude, and she was approached when leaving the place.
20/12/2022 – Criminals tried the pix scam on families of people hospitalized with cancer. Three companions, from two networks of private hospitals in Rio, claim that they received calls from criminals who knew information about the patients and tried to deceive the family. Generally, crime happens in a very similar way. A criminal call the hospital room or next of kin and poses as the doctor in charge. The person then informs that an examination raised the suspicion of a disease that needs to be investigated. In the story invented by the criminals, there is always some complication, such as the need to carry out new tests, transfer equipment or pay for medical staff and medicines. The scammer then asks for a pix transaction of high value, ranging from R$ 4,000 to R$ 6,000.
20/12/2022 – A woman was stabbed during an attempted robbery on Ipanema beach, South Zone. According to the police, the victim and a friend were cycling along the shore when they decided to sit on the sands of the beach. On the beach, the couple was approached by two people, who announced the robbery. The victims reacted by refusing to hand over backpacks and cell phones. It was then that the man took a knife from his waist and attacked the young woman. The two criminals were identified and arrested in the Cantagalo community.
21/12/2022 – A luxury car was stolen by criminals in front of the boarding area of Santos Dumont Airport, in downtown Rio. A driver in a BMW vehicle stopped to drop off a passenger, when he was approached by two armed men, who got out of a vehicle parked in front of the Bossa Nova Mall entrance. It is the third robbery with the same characteristics only in December.
22/12/2022 – A man was arrested for robbing an apartment in a luxury condominium in Barra da Tijuca, West Zone. His accomplice is still on the run and would have used the badge of a previous job as a service provider in the condominium to enter the place. Already inside the property, the criminal who is still on the run used the intercom to release the entry of the arrested criminal. They then rang the doorbell of the first property and surrendered the victim with a pistol. Several goods were stolen, and the victims were forced to unlock their cell phones and transfer money to them via PIX. Even the victim’s car was taken, which was used to escape the robbers. The victims were also tied up and locked in the bathrooms.
23/12/2022 – Former coach of the Brazilian national football team, Tite, was robbed in the Barra da Tijuca beach, West Zone. The crime occurred when he was walking with his wife, around 7h between stations 5 and 6 on the beach promenade. At the time, a criminal on a bicycle who was pedaling at high speed in the opposite direction pulled his necklace and fled.
23/12/2022 – A criminal invaded a building, broke into an apartment, and left with a 42-inch TV in his hand on Rua Serafim Valandro, in the Botafogo neighborhood, South Zone. Images of the internal circuit showed all his action. Still on the street, he seems to force the lock until it opens, and he enters the building. Just over half an hour after breaking into the building, he appears on the way out, protecting the stolen television in a cloth. With his backpack on his back, he leaves the building quietly.
28/12/2022 – A criminal who stole a car at Aterro do Flamengo was killed after a shooting and pursuit by the Military Police to the Rio Bus Station, in the Port Zone. According to the PM, two men on a motorcycle stole a vehicle, and one of them got into the victim’s car. Another accomplice followed him on a motorcycle when they were approached by police. During the shooting, the criminal driving the car lost control and crashed into two vehicles. According to investigations, the group carried out robberies in the region close to Santos Dumont Airport, in the South Zone of the city.
29/12/2022 – Two women were found dead in the Rocinha Community, South Zone. The bodies were in a house in the community area known as Camisa Suja. According to the first information, a body was found in the bed and another in the bathroom of the property.
TRENDS & ADVICE
- During summer months, mass robberies and thefts in touristic spots become the most prevalent security risks in Rio de Janeiro, specially in the city’s South Zone.
- Crowded beaches and its vicinities should be avoided.
- Avoid any display of wealth (jewelry, cell phones), but always carry a small amount of money (R$50) to hand over to muggers.
- In case of robbery: cooperate, do not try to run after the assailant as he or she might not be alone or turn violent.
- In the case of being in the immediate vicinity of a shootout:
- Lay on the ground and seek cover.
- When it is safe to do so, find the nearest building, stay away from windows, do not move unless you are sure that the gunfire has ended.
- Avoid walking alone in poorly lit areas or beaches after nightfall. Avoid walking through tunnels.
- Avoid the vicinity of crime-prone areas such as ‘communities’ (so-called ‘favelas’) and lower-income neighborhoods.
- Be always cautious, even in the areas considered safe such as Downtown, Botafogo, Copacabana and Ipanema. Exercise caution in the Centro during the day and avoid the area after nightfall and on Sundays.
- Be careful when using the GPS as they may lead you to unsafe areas controlled by organized crime. Prefere Cooperative taxis instead of driving yourself.
