Police seize luxury vehicles in operation against illegal raffles

The Civil Police of Santa Catarina, together with the Civil Police of Paraná, launched this morning (20) Operation Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat. Fights those responsible for promoting illegal giveaways on social networksSix search and seizure warrants were issued in the cities of Rio Branco do Sul/PR, Itapema/SC, Balneário Camboriú/SC and Belo Horizonte/MG.

According to BandaB, two digital influencers under investigation were affected by the operation, in which 13 high-end vehicles (BMW and Audi) and three sports motorcycles with an estimated value of R$ 4 million were seized; jewelry was also seized.

Raffles are prohibited without the permission of the competent authority.

Authorities say they are investigating influencers promoting illegal giveaways on social media; they could have collected around R$25 million in just one year.

The first person investigated is Matheus Sales from Rio Branco do Sul, who has more than 480 thousand followers on social networks. The second person investigated is Nelio Dgrazi, who has more than 1.3 million followers. The police claim that influencers promote vehicle raffles and prize draws, which is prohibited without the permission of the competent authority.

“These cash withdrawals have strong signs of fraud,” authorities told BandaB. “The numbers used to determine the winners of these drawings do not have any support in the Federal Lottery, and investigators themselves have indicated that this standard was used in that drawing.”

Upon the request of the Undercover Police, the bank accounts of those involved in the incident were blocked.

Is it illegal to hold online raffles?

It is not illegal to hold online raffles in Brazil, but there are certain rules that must be followed, and therefore most raffles on social media are not legal.

Among the rules, Brazilian legislation states that only non-profit organizations can organize draws, while individuals and commercial companies are prohibited from doing so. It is also mandatory that the draw is affiliated with the authorized body, the Federal Lottery.

Participating in sweepstakes is also classified as a criminal misdemeanor.

Legal entities wishing to organize a raffle need authorization from the Ministry of Economy, which will be responsible for organizing, supervising and controlling the entire raffle. The rules for obtaining authorization include: the purpose, the money collected must have a corporate destination, the inspection fee must be paid and the items participating in the raffle must be donated.

To obtain this authorization, a request must be submitted to the Commercial Promotion Control System (SCPC) 40 to 120 days before the start of the promotion.

See inspection fee values ​​below:

• Prizes up to R$1,000.00: R$27.00 fee
• Prizes between R$ 1,000.01 and R$ 5,000.00: R$ 133.00 fee
• Prizes between R$ 5,000.01 and R$ 10,000.00: R$ 267.00 fee
• Prizes between R$ 10,000.01 and R$ 50,000.00: R$ 1,333.00 fee
• Prizes between R$ 50,000.01 and R$ 100,000.00: R$ 3,333.00 fee
• Prizes between R$ 100,000.01 and R$ 500,000.00: R$ 10,667.00 fee
• Prizes between R$ 500,000.01 and R$ 1,667,000.00: R$ 33,333.00 fee
• Prizes over R$ 1,667,000.01: R$ 66,667.00 fee

Those who do not comply with the rules can face a fine of up to R$200,000, plus a prison sentence of three months to two years. Participating in sweepstakes is also classified as a criminal misdemeanor.