HE Fantastic Sunday (3) reported the arrests of four suspected members of a gang in Goiânia and São Paulo, apparently responsible for a brutal coup, but this earned its members amounts ranging from R$300,000 to R$1.2 million per victim. To deceive them, the oppressors they used a “magic box” that replicated banknotes.
According to the Goiás Public Ministry (MP-GO), the coup is old and has been inflicted since 2011 with victims in Rondônia, Mato Grosso, São Paulo, Pará, Tocantins, Amazonas, Distrito Federal and Goiás. The action took place on 22 June, with the arrest of the group’s leader, José Lúcio Antunes Costa, and three other suspects, according to the report.
How did the “magic box” scam work?
Prosecutor Juan Borges of the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (Gaeco), Fantastic He said the coup began when representatives of the group introduced themselves to future victims as “brokers”. Driving fancy cars and always well dressed, they held meetings in “popular hotels with expensive drinks”.
During the “business meeting” the criminals set up a counterfeit banknote factory. They took some money from the guest, placed the notes in a “magic box” made of styrofoam, dipped them in colored water, had them copied, that is, doubled the value.
Magic and shame
For the “magic” to work, pre-made scammers same as the one used at the meeting, a small cover of money and the rest is a box filled with blank paper. During the show, they would distract the victim and change boxes, keeping the real money that was originally put in. In order to escape with ease, victims were told that bills had to be kept for 24 hours.
According to Borges, one of the reasons for the success of the coup was that the victims, out of embarrassment, did not report the case. Although gang members can be sentenced to up to 82 years in prison, it is impossible not to talk about counterfeit money, because according to the MP, didn’t actually happen. In fact, “the victims fell into an illusion,” says the prosecutor.
Source: Tec Mundo
