A street vendor was arrested on Monday (27/07) by the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police on suspicion of carrying out the so-called “card machine scam” against a Polish tourist at Copacabana Beach. According to investigators, Geovani Moisés da Silva dos Santos offered the visitor a drink for R$40 but apparently entered a charge of R$8,500 into the payment terminal. The case is the latest example of a recurring type of fraud targeting foreign tourists in one of Rio de Janeiro’s busiest and most visited coastal areas.
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Credit Card
The unauthorized charge, equivalent to 6,297 Polish zlotys or R$ 8,506.09 based on the exchange rate recorded on the 27th, was made on the tourist’s credit card. The victim noticed the transaction shortly afterwards through a mobile banking application and contacted the police. In addition to the amount charged for the caipirinha, investigators identified three other declined transaction attempts that, when combined, exceeded R$34,000. Plainclothes officers searched the beachfront and located the suspect near Lifeguard Post 3 on Copacabana Beach. He was arrested in the act on suspicion of fraud and taken into custody for further questioning. The arrest was conducted by officers from Deat, the Special Police Station for Tourism Support, a unit responsible for investigating crimes involving visitors and providing assistance to tourists in Rio de Janeiro.
Other Cases
The arrest occurred only days after another similar case was reported in the same neighborhood. Last week, a man was detained on suspicion of offering two caipirinhas for R$80 and subsequently charging R$8,000 to the victim’s credit card. In that incident, the victim was a French tourist who was also visiting Copacabana Beach. The recurrence of such cases has raised concerns regarding payment fraud targeting foreign visitors, particularly in crowded tourist areas where transactions are often conducted quickly and through portable card machines. The Copacabana Police Station, known as the 12th DP, ranked sixth among police districts in Rio de Janeiro state for the highest number of fraud reports registered in 2026. Between January and June, the station recorded 1,690 cases. During the same six-month period, a total of 84,297 fraud cases were reported across the state.
Analysis:
The repeated occurrence of card machine fraud in Copacabana illustrates how criminals increasingly exploit the high concentration of international visitors in Rio de Janeiro’s main tourist areas. These schemes rely on speed, distraction, and victims’ unfamiliarity with local payment practices rather than sophisticated technical methods. Foreign tourists are particularly attractive targets because they may face language barriers, be less familiar with Brazilian currency, and often discover unauthorized charges only after leaving the scene, reducing the chance of immediately identifying the offender.
The recurrence of similar incidents within a short period suggests that these are not isolated crimes but part of a broader pattern affecting the city’s tourism sector. Although the financial losses are borne primarily by individual victims and financial institutions, the reputational impact extends much further. High-profile fraud cases involving international visitors can damage Rio de Janeiro’s image as a tourist destination, particularly when they receive media attention abroad.
Sources: O Globo; A Folha de SP.
