The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro has launched a new operation targeting a criminal network accused of using stolen mobile phones to carry out banking fraud, with lottery workers under investigation.
The operation involved 35 search and seizure warrants executed across multiple neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro.
Authorities confirmed that two lottery outlets were among the locations searched.
Investigators identified a scheme in which stolen or illegally obtained mobile phones were accessed to reach victims’ financial applications.
Funds were then transferred to accounts linked to the group, often created using false identities or third parties.
According to police findings, part of the operation involved withdrawing funds through Pix transactions at lottery outlets, a procedure recently suspended to many lottery shops by Caixa, complicating the traceability of financial flows.
Three lottery employees are under investigation for allegedly facilitating withdrawals, including transactions that exceeded the standard BR3,000 ($577) limit.
16 individuals were arrested and approximately 200 devices were seized. Data extracted from those phones helped authorities map the structure of the fraud network, including the resale of stolen devices in informal markets.
So far, one suspect has been arrested in the latest phase, while three others were taken in for questioning. Authorities stated there is no evidence of involvement by employees in leadership positions of Caixa, nor any financial loss to the institution.
The case highlights how financial tools such as Pix are being exploited in criminal schemes, particularly when combined with physical cash withdrawal points like lottery outlets.
The ongoing operation has already resulted in over 13,300 recovered mobile phones, with around 6,000 returned to their rightful owners, and more than 850 individuals arrested
