The Civil Police arrested this Monday (29) 31 people accused of carrying out the “nude coup”. The suspects were apprehended in 11 cities in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, identified as participants in a scheme that claimed victims in 12 Brazilian states and would have accumulated amounts of up to R$ 5 million.
According to investigations, at least 80 people would have been victims of the coup across the country. The gang had businessmen, doctors and politicians as their main focus; one of the victims even handed over USD 100,000 to the bandits in exchange for secrecy of intimate images and the exposure of private conversations to family members and co-workers.
There are also suspicions of enticing minors, since at least one 17-year-old teenager received between R$100 and R$200 from the gang for taking intimate photos. Images were sent to victims of the scam as part of the scheme — according to the Police, younger people aged between 18 and 19 were also part of the gang, pretending to be younger to attract victims.
In addition to the 31 arrests, 11 of them preventive and 30 temporary, the police also served 33 search and seizure warrants and blocked 25 bank accounts that would be used by the bandits. During the works, the authorities also found “fake” police stations, used as a scenario for the practice of extortion by the bandits.
How does the “nude coup” work?
The main targets of the gangs were older men, usually found through social networks and dating apps. Criminals impersonated beautiful women with provocative photos, taking the conversation to WhatsApp where intimate images were exchanged along with promises of sexual encounters.
After the victim fell, members of the gang pretended to be the woman’s relatives or the police, pointing out that the conversation was taking place with a minor, and demanded money so that the conversation would not be exposed to spouses, co-workers and others. In the “fake” police stations, videos were recorded that simulated the record of occurrences for pedophilia and reenactments that helped to give greater credibility to the coup. In another version of the scam, strangers make video calls in which they display nude images while capturing the screen to threaten the victim.
The extortion did not stop after the first payment. The victim had to hand over more and more money to the crooks to keep their private conversations confidential. Data from social networks themselves, as well as leaked information, were used to locate family members and work colleagues of those affected by the “nude coup”.
According to the Civil Police, 140 people have already been arrested for the practice in Rio Grande do Sul alone. Authorities ask those who have been threatened by this and other gangs to contact them to file complaints and assist in investigations.
In addition, the recommendation is to be careful with conversations on social networks and relationship apps, especially if they quickly take a sexual turn. Ideally, ignore contacts from unknown profiles and not send them intimate pictures. Above all, the Police point out that they do not make contacts or demand any amount after accusations of crime, so victims must go to the police station to file a police report.
Source: G1
