Brazilian police have arrested 10 individuals following the discovery of a clandestine “call center” operating out of a luxury property in São Paulo, in a case that also ties into illegal raffle schemes and wider betting-related fraud.
The operation, carried out in the Jardim São Luís area in the south of the city, revealed a structured setup used to apply telephone scams at scale.
According to investigators, suspects posed as bank employees to persuade victims to share personal and financial information. Once access was obtained, accounts were used to transfer funds and take out loans.
Authorities seized 23 mobile phones, 10 laptops, seven headsets and written scripts believed to have been used to guide conversations with victims. The materials have been sent for forensic analysis.
One of the investigated people is suspected of involvement in a criminal organization linked to fake auction scams, while another had been tied to illegal raffle operations, a model frequently associated with unregulated betting and prize schemes promoted online.
The case was registered as fraud and criminal association, with all suspects remaining in custody as investigations continue.
The operation adds to a growing list of enforcement actions targeting financial crime linked to unregulated gambling activities in Brazil. Illegal raffles, often promoted through social media and influencers, have increasingly drawn scrutiny due to their use in laundering money and attracting large volumes of participants with promises of high-value prizes.
In a separate case, Brazilian authorities recently arrested seven individuals in the state of Minas Gerais which targeted illegal gambling activities linked to the traditional “jogo do bicho” lottery.
More than 462,000 individuals in Brazil have already opted out of betting platforms through the country’s centralised self-exclusion system
