Man accused of scamming tourists in Pará arrested in Pernambuco

The Civil Police of the State, through the Tourist Protection Police Station (DPTur), initiated an investigation against those accused of fraud after the registration of four Occurrence Reports by national and foreign tourists arriving in Pará. The victims reported losses exceeding R$ 50,000 and US$ 10,000, obtained through fraud on a digital platform that offers accommodation booking services.

According to the delegate responsible for the case, the investigation team was able to identify those involved, trace the amounts, analyze the accounts in the application, and link the phone numbers of those involved.

“We were also able to cross-reference addresses and map the criminal structure, at which point we identified that the criminals were using lines with area code 81 and operated from the State of Pernambuco, advertising non-existent apartments in a Piemont building in downtown Belém, and demanding advance payment via PIX and Wise,” reported Delegate Guilherme Gonçalves, head of DPTur.

The investigative findings identified an individual as the main beneficiary of the criminal scheme. He acted as a receiver of international transfers in euros and dollars via the application, with an address linked to the municipality of Ipojuca, located in Pernambuco.

“With all the elements already produced by DPTur, we requested support in capturing the suspect. The Civil Police of Pernambuco, through the Tourist Police Station (DEATur/PE) and the Police Station of Ipojuca, carried out the arrest in flagrant of the suspect, who confessed to the criminal practice, stating that he had been recruited by an individual and reporting transfers to a woman,” added the delegate.

The suspect was charged in flagrant for fraud and criminal association, and a request for his preventive detention was made due to the continuation of the frauds and the sophistication of the scheme.

Text: Jacqueline Costa, intern under the supervision of Jeniffer Terra, Ascom PC.