Phone scams exploit victims in Brazil's Piauí and Argentina's Pato Bragado

The Civil Police of Piauí, Brazil, issued an alert about a new telephone fraud that uses biblical verses to coax victims into uttering specific words – “autorizo”, “concordo” and “aceito”. The recorded voice snippets can bypass vocal‑biometric security systems, enabling fraudsters to open accounts, obtain loans or finance purchases in the victims’ names.

In Pato Bragado, Argentina, the local Military Police recorded two separate scams. One man was told he had won a court case and was asked to deposit R$3,450 to release the funds; another woman was convinced to pay R$1,000 via Pix for a refrigerator that never existed. The combined loss exceeded R$4,450. Authorities instructed residents to avoid advance payments, verify identities through official channels and report suspicious calls.

Both police forces warned the public to be skeptical of unsolicited calls that request payments or personal confirmations, especially from unknown callers.