Brazilian motorists targeted by vehicle fraud in Mato Grosso and Santa Catarina

A 42‑year‑old businessman from Primavera do Leste, Mato Grosso, was defrauded of R$ 3,297.90 after accessing a cloned website that imitated the official Detran‑MT portal. The fake site generated QR‑code PIX transfers, and the victim made three payments of R$ 3,129.03, R$ 135.09 and R$ 33.78. When he later visited a Detran office, officials confirmed the vehicle’s debts remained unpaid, prompting a police report and a request for fund recovery through the bank’s Special Refund Mechanism (MED). Police note that similar scams have risen in the region, with fraudsters using paid Google ads to push counterfeit pages.

In Lages, Santa Catarina, a man was convicted by the 3ª Vara Criminal for estelionato after deceiving a driver with a scheme that invoked the local court’s name. The fraudster sent a falsified deposit receipt for R$ 1,970 and asked the driver to return the excess, resulting in a R$ 950 transfer to the offender’s account. The court sentenced him to four years’ imprisonment, later converted to community service and a pecuniary penalty, highlighting ongoing efforts to curb electronic fraud targeting motorists.