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Overview
- Police executed search-and-seizure warrants in Florianópolis and Itajaí on December 4, leading to preventive detention and court-ordered freezes of suspect accounts.
- Authorities say the 32-year-old Benin national living in Santa Catarina acted as the financial and logistics intermediary, receiving PIX transfers and supporting foreign operators.
- The group impersonated Dwayne “The Rock” on TikTok to run fake giveaways, using forged documents, photos of sealed packages, English-language messages, and bogus delivery proofs.
- Victims were directed to pay delivery, insurance, and customs fees via PIX, with reported losses topping R$11,000 in Brasília and roughly R$80,000 in Minas Gerais.
- Seized phones and other electronics will undergo forensic analysis, and the suspect will be charged with electronic fraud, which carries a potential four to eight years in prison plus fines.