Last Tuesday, June 2nd, a 37-year-old woman was identified after posing as a 12-year-old child in Joinville, Santa Catarina. Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira had been carrying out the scam for at least 15 years, according to Civil Police investigations, in up to seven states.
This Monday, the 8th, a prayer group in Paraná recognized Amanda, which led the police to reopen an investigation in 2022. According to the group, she had presented herself as a 13-year-old girl with terminal cancer and obtained money from them in 2021.
Who is Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira
Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira is 37 years old. The Santa Catarina Court ordered his preventive detention last Wednesday, the 3rd, following an investigation by the Civil Police for embezzlement and false identity.
In Joinville, she introduced herself as Gabriele and said she had fled Pará because she suffered mistreatment. According to the police, she is actually from Ceará.
What was the case that brought the crimes to light?
Amanda spent the last 14 months with a family in Joinville pretending to be a 12-year-old child. According to the police, she adopted childish behaviors, such as using bottles, pacifiers and even a specific fragrance to sleep.
She met the family through a local church pastor. Initially, he said he was 18 years old and had experience in baking, looking for a job. Later, he changed the version to 11 years old, claiming to be a victim of abuse and having run away from home.
The family’s complaint only emerged at the end of May. An aunt who didn’t believe the story searched the internet, found a similar case in Rio de Janeiro and alerted her adoptive father.
How she convinced her victims that she was underage
Amanda’s modus operandi was consistent: she presented herself as a minor in a vulnerable situation or, at most, 18 years old, saying she had run away from home due to abuse.
In 2021, he managed to stay in a shelter for minors after deceiving authorities. The scam was discovered after forensic examination. In the same year, in Cachoeirinha, Rio Grande do Sul, she was preventively arrested for embezzlement, leaving in June 2022.
In the case of Joinville, there was a birthday party to celebrate the supposed 12th year of life. The “adoptive” mother paid for treatment with weight-loss pens for her.
How many times did she apply the scam
Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira confessed to having carried out the scam in seven other states over the last 15 years: Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte.
In 2010, she was hospitalized in Natal with needles in her abdomen, claiming to be just 13 years old. At the time, delegate Luiz Lucena stated that she had done the same in Fortaleza.
Most recent case: prayer group in Paraná
This Monday, the Paraná Civil Police reopened a 2022 investigation after a prayer group recognized Amanda Maria.
In this case, she would have posed as “Emily”, a 13-year-old teenager with terminal cancer. One of the victims even tattooed his fake name on his wrist.
According to reports, she approached the group during the pandemic, via online meetings, asking for prayers for her own death. Afterwards, he developed the story saying he needed a bone marrow transplant, that his mother had died and that he was being attacked by his father, who had killed himself.
The fraud came to light when she asked for money. When they checked the hospitals mentioned, they found no records. One member pressed to speak to the supposed aunt who was Amanda herself and she ended up admitting that she was an adult.
