False Federal Revenue scam results in loss of R$15,000 for 83-year-old man in Niterói
An 83-year-old resident of Niterói, Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro, suffered a loss of approximately R$15,000 when he fell for a scam. A criminal identified himself as an employee of the Federal Revenue Service and persuaded the elderly man about a false financial dispute of R$3,000 with the agency.
Subsequently, a woman attended the retiree’s residence, under the pretext of resolving the alleged debt. She managed to steal cash, multiple bank cards, their passwords and also the victim’s cell phone.
Seven days after the incident, Claudionor Lopes de Almeida, the injured elderly man, still shows great emotional distress. The man was at home, alone, when he received the phone call from the criminals.
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“The scammer stated: ‘Mr. Claudionor, you have a debt of R$3,000 with the IRS’. Something that never occurred to me. He insisted: ‘Yes, you do owe money’. The way he spoke convinced me, confused my mind. I was completely disoriented”, reported Mr. Almeida.
According to the elderly man’s testimony, the false attendant announced that a female person would come to his home to resolve the alleged debt problem.
Security camera records captured the moment the woman identified as a suspect entered the residential village of Claudionor in Niterói. The elderly man himself received her at the entrance to his house, and they both went inside the property.
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According to the retiree’s report, already inside the residence, the criminal collected cash, multiple bank cards, the corresponding passwords and the cell phone.
The footage indicates that the suspect remained inside the house for approximately 17 minutes. Simultaneously, a motorcycle was waiting for her outside. The woman then left the property and fled the scene.
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Maria da Glória Correia de Almeida, the victim’s spouse, said she received a call from her husband shortly after the coup occurred.
“He called me and said: ‘I was robbed. They took my card, all the money and also the money from the bank’, as they stole both the password and the card”, said the wife.
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Still with strong emotions, Claudior expressed her regret at having been the target of the deception.
“We work honestly all our lives. Then someone comes to your house and cheats you. That hurts a lot. Being deceived causes deep pain, it hurts a lot”, declared the retiree.
In an official statement, the Federal Revenue clarified that it does not carry out home visits without a documented prior appointment. Furthermore, the agency never requests bank details, card numbers or passwords during in-person services, which is a common modus operandi in scams that aim to extort the elderly.
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The federal agency also emphasized that its tax auditors always present themselves with official identification and display the Tax Procedure Distribution Term, guaranteeing the authenticity of the approach.
The IRS also informed that any messages sent by email or SMS are for informational purposes only, with the purpose of directing the taxpayer to official service channels when there is a need for interaction.
