Six people are arrested in Uberlândia for consortium scam

Six people suspected of being part of a criminal group that carried out consortium scams were arrested in Uberlândia, on Monday (14). According to the Civil Police, criminals attracted victims with vehicle advertisements on social media and demanded advance payments to release credit and immediate financing.

According to the delegate responsible for the case, Tauany Abou Rejaili, the total number of victims and the financial loss caused by the scheme are still being determined. Investigations indicate that the victims, after being attracted by digital advertisements, were referred to face-to-face assistance at an office in the Morada da Colina neighborhood, where they received proposals for the release of credit, financing or consortium.

"What I can say is that other records of occurrences have already been identified between the years 2025 and 2026 involving the same address as the police intervention and suspects identified as the main ones in the criminal group. These records are being analyzed to verify the repeated action and estimate the total damage caused, and will be the subject of separate investigations", the delegate informed g1.

In the office used by the criminals, investigators identified a structure divided between customer acquisition, service, negotiation and supervision. A video of the operation was released to the press by the Civil Police. The images have already been blurred by the corporation to maintain the confidentiality of the identities of others involved.

During the police approach, a woman was at the scene to continue the negotiation. The victim had already made a payment of R$900 and was going to pay the remainder of the required amount, around R$10,000, but the transaction was not carried out due to the intervention of the police.

The Civil Police seized cell phones, computers, contracts, proposals, forms and other documents from the office. The materials will be analyzed to deepen the investigations and clarify the actions of each person involved.

In total, 16 people were taken to the police station to provide clarification. Among them, three were teenagers who were accompanied by their legal guardians. Six suspects were arrested for embezzlement and criminal association.

Among those arrested are two women, aged 26 and 19, and four men, two aged 21 and the others aged 18 and 20. According to the Civil Police, those involved were taken to the penitentiary system. As the names of the suspects were not released, it was not possible to confirm which prison unit they are being held in.

According to the PC, the fraud scheme mainly targeted people with financial restrictions. The scammers carried out an alleged financial consultation for customers and informed the victims that they had been denied credit by banks.

Then, criminals deceived interested parties with a consortium proposal with the guarantee of contemplation in the acquisition of credit or the vehicle. The victims, however, were signing a normal consortium, in which they would maintain the monthly payments and must wait for the assemblies.

"The scam occurs due to the affirmation of those responsible for acquiring credit or releasing immediate financing. They said it would take 7 to 10 days for the person to acquire the good or the letter of credit", informed the PC.