The digital has become the biggest source of new crimes and a great environment for the appearance of versions of crimes traditionally committed on the streets. A few examples of that were recently reported. In Rio de Janeiro, on Sunday (20/04), three men were arrested for planning to execute a homeless man. The crime was to be broadcast live on Easter Sunday on the Discord platform in exchange for money. According to the police, the three youngsters who were arrested were the leaders of the group. In another incident, this time on Wednesday (23), in Leblon, South Zone of Rio, a 24-year-old man was robbed and extorted. The criminal took a gold necklace and a headphone, however, he also managed to force the victim to make a R$ 2,000 Pix transfer. A third recent case was reported after the arrest of a scammer on Friday (25/04) for committing the so-called “love scam”, and leading to a R$ 500,000 loss to his victim. Crimes that use the digital platform are growing and evolving at such a speed that only scams that use Pix are expected to cause damages amounting R$ 11 billion by 2028. Besides, Brazil is already among the leading countries in crimes reported.
Hate Groups
The members of the group found on Discord App, organized acts that resulted in “physical and psychological suffering” and showed a lack of empathy. In addition to plotting the execution of a homeless person, people in these groups promoted hate speech on the internet, mainly against black people, women, teenagers, and animals. Among the crimes, all with an “entertainment” bias, the police reveal that there was also animal abuse, inducing self-harm, racism and virtual rape (blackmailing, embarrassing and publishing intimate images of victims on the internet).
According to experts, psychopathic traits, a history of bullying, and a lack of family boundaries are some of the common characteristics among young people who engage in violent acts. They find social media to be an environment conducive to hate speech.
Other Similar Cases
Police say that those teens arrested are not related to previous incidents, including the one that occurred on 18 February in Rio’s West Zone. On that occasion, a 17-year-old teenager was arrested after throwing two Molotov cocktails at Ludierley Satyro José, 46, who was sleeping on a sidewalk on Avenida Geremário Dantas, in the Pechincha neighborhood. The incident was broadcast live on Discord. The victim suffered burns over 80% of his body, but survived. A 20 year old military was arrested. This and many other previous reports of similar incidents show that the phenomenon is widespread.
Potentiating Robbery and Extortion
Through the application of digital technology, the internet, cell phones, and new money transfer methods, criminals have potentiated or allowed traditional crimes to evolve. It was the case of the incident that occurred on Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva, one of the main avenues in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods of Brazil. Even though the victim did not have R$ 2,000 on him, the criminal managed to obtain it because of the cell phone and the Pix method.
Luckily, in this case, the outcome was less negative, since the Segurança Presente officers were called by a friend of the victim, who, upon passing by a bus stop where his friend was, found the situation strange and suspected that he was being threatened.
Love and Scam
The fraud targeted a woman and influenced her to transfer large amounts of money that totaled up to R$ 500,000. This is an emotional fraud — a scam in which the criminal simulates a romantic relationship with the victim to obtain financial advantage. Even though the victim was from Pará, he was from Rio de Janeiro, and the gang that gave him support was from Nigeria. This shows the wide capacity and potential impact that such criminals can have. The suspect was captured in the Rio das Pedras favela, in the West Zone of Rio.
The victim, believing she was having a virtual relationship with a foreigner, was deceived and made several bank transfers totaling R$500,000. The suspect made transfers to a company that operates crypto assets to launder the money.
Growth
Financial scams involving Pix are expected to increase fivefold in the next three years and exceed R$11 billion in losses to bank customers, according to a report by ACI Worldwide, a US company that develops technology services with payment methods. The information comes from the Scamscope Fraud report, which shows Brazil among the global leaders in scams involving digital payments. The leader in the projection of countries most affected by cybercrime by 2028, the United States leads the ranking with R$18.6 billion in embezzlement. It is followed by Brazil (R$11.4 billion), Australia (R$7 billion), the United Kingdom (R$4.9 billion), India (R$3.3 billion), and the United Arab Emirates (R$181.5 million).
Sources: Extra [1], [2], [3], [4]; Folha de SP [1], [2], [3].
