Woman says she lent credit card and car to scammer: 'I'm in debt until God knows when'

A resident of Luís Antônio (SP) told EPTV, a TV Globo affiliate, that she was also a victim of agricultural engineer Fernando Vasco Fernandes, aged 38, suspected of scamming women who had romantic relationships. At least five of them have already contacted the police to make a complaint.

In this most recent case, the victim said that he lent Fernando his credit card and car and lost around R$15,000.

"He started buying things with my credit card, he started using my car. I went into depression, because it amounted to around R$13,000, R$15,000. My car still has problems with a fine, because of so many fines that he was getting and accumulating. I suffered a lot, it was a horrible time. I'm in debt until God knows when."

EPTV heard from two more female victims of Fernando. One of them, from Ribeirão Preto (SP), states that she lost R$26 thousand, and the other, from Marília (SP), said she lost R$30 thousand. No lawyer representing the suspect could be reached to comment on the matter until the last update of this report.

Fernando, who is from Sertãozinho (SP), met the women through a dating app and, after becoming emotionally involved, he started asking for money under the pretexts of having been robbed, being sick or having his bank account blocked. The engineer always promised to return the amount borrowed, something that never happened.

In one of the cases, the victim said that he would go to the police to make a complaint, to which he replied that he would not be arrested, because he is 'graduated' and that, if he were, he would be entitled to a 'special cell'.

The aforementioned benefit is no longer valid for those with a diploma. In 2023, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) decided that special prison for people with higher education is incompatible with the Constitution.

On Thursday (5), EPTV was at one of Fernando's addresses, in Sertãozinho, but he was not located.