Police carry out operation in the interior of SP against bank fraud

A criminal organization specializing in bank fraud caused losses of R$1.27 million in the interior of São Paulo. According to the investigation by the Presidente Venceslau Civil Police, the suspects used 2,700 telephone lines to carry out scams.

Among the victims is an 80-year-old resident who lost R$180,000 in a scam. The criminals pretended to be employees of a banking institution and convinced the victim that there was a problem with the account. With this, they managed to induce her to make an unauthorized bank transfer.

In total, five search and seizure warrants are being executed, covering the cities of Poá and Embu das Artes, in Greater São Paulo, as well as Planaltina, in Goiás, and Brasília. To recover the damage caused to the elderly victim that led to the investigations beginning, the Court ordered the freezing of assets and values ​​up to the limit of R$180,000.

“Our objective is to deepen the investigation, identify everyone involved and locate other possible victims,” said police chief Edmar Caparroz, who coordinates the operation.

The searches also aim to collect documents, cell phones, computers and other materials that could contribute to the advancement of investigations.

How to avoid fraud

As a report by Agência Brasil showed, social engineering accounts for 40% of financial fraud in Brazil. This technique consists of emotional manipulation of victims. Criminals create urgency scenarios to induce quick decisions.

Criminals use different formats to reach the victim, such as the fake call center, which claims to have identified a suspicious transaction and instructs the victim to carry out procedures to supposedly protect the account. They also contact victims via email, WhatsApp and calls.

Some federal agencies have developed tools to prevent scams. The Central Bank (BC) offers the BC Protege + tool, which allows citizens to register that they do not wish to open accounts with banks or other institutions in the financial system.

To reinforce the protection of personal data, the BC also provides the Registration. Through this solution, citizens and companies are able to consult the information that financial system institutions share with the monetary authority.

The tool makes it possible to issue various reports, allowing you to check financial pending issues, check registered Pix keys and check the existence of unknown accounts.