Woman arrested in Fortaleza for airline miles fraud scheme

A 34-year-old woman has been arrested in Fortaleza, Ceará, on suspicion of orchestrating a fraudulent airline miles scheme targeting a travel agency in Teresina, Piauí.

The investigation, conducted by the Cybercrime Repression Department of the Piauí Civil Police in coordination with the Ceará Civil Police, revealed that the suspect offered business class tickets allegedly issued via miles. Payments were collected through Pix, but the tickets were manually canceled shortly before the scheduled departure dates without refunding the agency or victims.

A preventive arrest warrant was executed in the Cidade dos Funcionários neighborhood, and a mobile phone was seized for forensic analysis. The suspect, originally from Pará, faces charges of qualified fraud and false identity. Authorities have also frozen her bank accounts to facilitate potential restitution to the defrauded agency. Police indicate she is under investigation for similar schemes in other Brazilian states.