Recently, an undeniably very special – and dramatic – event unfolded in the large city of Belo Horizonte in the south-east of Brazil.
News agency Jam Press has spoken to a 36-year-old businesswoman who came across a pair of brand new iPhone 15 Pro Max for sale on an online marketplace.
The woman – who wishes to remain anonymous – tells the news agency that she contacted the seller. After a little chat, she had agreed to meet the man to complete the transaction.
Popular influencer
According to Jam Press, the police have described the seller in question as a 31-year-old influencer with close to 300,000 followers on social media.
The woman herself felt that he came across as “very reliable”.
– He gave me his home address and regularly shared pictures of himself on social media. To me it seemed as if everything about the ad was real, the woman tells Jam Press.
Warnings: – Difficult to reveal
Threatened with a weapon
Together with her husband, she went to meet the person in question. The conversation between them must have proceeded normally. But when she tried to open one of the iPhone boxes, the seller allegedly threatened her.
– He said, “You don’t open it, I have a gun in my belt. There is no reason to be suspicious – everything is fine, the phones are there,” the woman recalls.
She goes on to say that she was unable to see if he was actually wearing a gun. But she had no plans to find out, either.
After she had transferred 13,000 Brazilian reals (equivalent to NOK 28,000), the seller must have gone on his way.
Here you will burn
– Never seen anything like it
Stunned by what had happened, the woman opened the lid of the two mobile boxes. Then she got another shock – both smartphones turned out to be molded in clay.
– I have never seen anything like it in my life – the boxes were brand new and sealed. Right then and there I was completely shocked. Both my husband and I were speechless at the creativity behind the scam.
The woman called the police and tried to cancel the transaction, but it was too late. Following the incident, the seller also allegedly threatened the woman and her family.
On 25 April, the police arrested the 31-year-old influencer. In a comment to Jam Press, the police say that there is evidence that the man has committed extortion using firearms.
The man himself denies criminal guilt.
