# Spiritual fraud investigation and arrests in Portugal

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/spiritual-fraud-investigation-and-arrests-in-portugal
> Updated: 2026-10-04T22:28:57.000Z. Sources: 9. Developments: 2.

A foreign couple has been placed in preventive detention by the Portuguese Judiciary Police (PJ) for allegedly defrauding a victim of more than 400,000 euros through spiritual scams. The suspects, who have criminal records in Brazil, reportedly used social media and a website to pose as a tarot reader to exploit the victim’s emotional and psychological vulnerabilities.

Investigators state that since January, the suspects convinced the victim to provide cash and bank transfers under the false pretext that the funds needed to be ‘blessed’ and ‘purified’ for spiritual purposes, with promises of eventual reimbursement. The couple allegedly traveled to Portugal for short periods to collect cash and had planned to return to Brazil. Authorities noted the pair maintained a highly luxurious lifestyle on social media. The woman reportedly has a criminal record in Brazil dating back to 2015 for similar fraudulent activities. The detention was facilitated through cooperation between the Portuguese PJ and international agencies.

## Claims

- 12 mobile phones were stolen from a shopping center in Braga. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- Police intercepted a suspect and another person attempting to sell two stolen phones at a different business. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- A house search resulted in the recovery of the remaining stolen phones. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- The recovered phones were returned to the owner. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- The total value of the stolen phones is 17,694.88 euros. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-10-04: Portugal police detain couple for 400,000 euro online fraud

A foreign couple is in preventive detention in Portugal for allegedly defrauding a victim of over 400,000 euros using fake tarot reading services and spiritual purification pretexts.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/portugal-police-detain-couple-for-400000-euro-online-fraud

### 2026-10-02: Foreign couple detained for 400,000 euro spiritual fraud

A foreign couple was detained by Portuguese authorities for defrauding a woman of over 400,000 euros using fake tarot reading services and spiritual pretexts.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/foreign-couple-detained-for-400000-euro-spiritual-fraud

---
Cite as: Spiritual fraud investigation and arrests in Portugal. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/spiritual-fraud-investigation-and-arrests-in-portugal