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Defense Minister José Múcio Monteiro targeted by phone cloning scam
Criminals have cloned the mobile phone number of Brazil's Minister of Defense, José Múcio Monteiro, to carry out a fraudulent scheme targeting his contacts.
According to the minister's office, the scammers sent messages impersonating him to invite contacts to a fake charity event. The messages requested small donations of R$ 5 via Pix, claiming the funds would benefit children through an institute. To increase the credibility of the scam, the perpetrators claimed a man named “Pedro Reis” was the minister's nephew and would act as the event organizer.
The Ministry of Defense confirmed that these messages did not originate from the minister and that no such charitable campaign is being organized by his office.