New scams on the internet appear all the time, and, most of the time, the threats that we find here are nothing more than adapted versions of practices from other parts of the world. Sometimes, however, Brazilian criminals give a show of creativity and elaborate totally new scams, adapted to the local culture.
- New scam “steals” WhatsApp from those who announced a product on the internet
- WhatsApp is target of another social engineering scam for account theft
- Android users are the newest victims of a sexual extortion scam
The most recent example seems to be what became known as the “coup de nudes”. The scheme, which represents extortion, begins when a malicious agent makes a fake Facebook profile – impersonating an attractive woman – and addresses men in their 30s and 50s, sending spicy messages and suggesting the exchange of intimate photos.
When the victim gives in to the suggestions and sends the explicit images, the scammer changes his character and says he is a young girl. At this point, a fellow man approaches the Internet user (usually via WhatsApp) claiming to be the girl's father and threatens to take the case to the police… Unless, of course, the desperate individual pays him a good amount of money to buy his silence.
Although this type of fraud is in full growth (mainly affecting the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná), the first records appeared there in May, when the Civil Police launched the Sextortion operation. The action, organized by the Police Crimes Enforcement Office (DRCI), culminated in mandates in Farroupilha, Caxias do Sul and Montenegro.
Lost more than R $ 12 thousand
In June, the Rio Grande do Sul newspaper Folha do Mate reported a case of a man who ended up transferring R $ 12,500 to scammers after being a victim of the scam. Sought by the local vehicle, the internet user's lawyer, Paulo Mathias Ferreira, revealed to have attended at least 30 people with the same problem during a single month.
“They go to my office or they call me in fear, because they have family and fear that the situation will come to the knowledge of the wife”, explains Paulo, and adds more details about the case of the R $ 12,500 lost:. scammer) asked for another R $ 5,000 and since my client had no money, he came to me and then I explained that it was a scam ”.
The problem is becoming so recurrent that the Civil Police of Paraná issued an alert with tips to avoid the coup. The authority recommends caution when adding and chatting with unknown profiles, such as avoiding contact with phone numbers of other prefixes and not sharing intimate photos through instant communication applications. In addition, never make deposits for strangers and call the police if you believe you are the victim of extortion.