Brazil CPI: Influencers Lie to Make More Money
Brazil – April 23, 2025 www.zonadeazar.com During his testimony to the Bets CPI this Tuesday (22), police chief Lucimério Barros Campos revealed that illegal online betting sites and digital influencers lie on the internet to increase their profits. Lucimério works for the Civil Police of the state of Alagoas and led Operation Game Over, which dismantled criminal betting and influencer schemes. The session was chaired by Senator Dr. Hiran (PP-RR), president of the CPI.
The chief explained that Operation Game Over was carried out by the Fraud Division following complaints from people who had lost significant sums of money in online betting sites. He stated that illegal bets use digital payment intermediaries who receive bettors’ transfers via Pix and then forward them to the betting sites. These intermediaries are not financial institutions, so their assets cannot be frozen.
— The path is always the same: bettor, payment intermediary, and betting site. (…) After complaints about losses, we noticed these fintechs, the intermediaries, were clandestinely created by individuals unrelated to the official company (…) We calculated R$ 15 million in losses in that Alagoas investigation alone — all in illegal bets.
Deceptive Advertising
Lucimério said illegal betting houses hire influencers and allow them to use fake accounts in betting apps to simulate winnings and promote them to followers. According to him, the influencer is paid by the betting house to lure more players, not for actually betting. He presented audio and video evidence to the CPI.
— Bettors need to download an app. For influencers, they were given demo accounts. They had one real account to share links, and another to simulate wins by screen recording. It was all a sham.
Predatory Advertising
The chief suggested Congress regulate paragraph 5 of Article 173 of the Constitution, which allows legal accountability of companies for acts against the economic order.
— We don’t have adequate legislation today to penalize both individuals and companies in the criminal sphere.
He argued that illegal betting sites exploit people with deceptive advertising and called for regulating even the ads of legalized sites that pay celebrities to attract players. He cited cases of people losing thousands of reais, affecting their own and their families’ finances.
— This money is coming from someone — the bettor. Without proper regulation, this predatory activity severely impacts Brazilians’ financial health. If it’s illegal, the money doesn’t even stay in Brazil. (…) Some may say, “People gamble by choice,” but with such persuasive and predatory ads, vulnerable people tend to believe them. (…) This kind of advertising harms society. It must be stopped.
Money Laundering
Responding to Senator Soraya Thronicke (Podemos-MS), Lucimério said the investigation began as fraud but due to its scale, was moved to a court specialized in organized crime.
— As we advanced, we found a foreign individual coordinating recruiters in Brazil, often contacting influencers directly. We saw task divisions, each with specific roles, and classified it as a criminal organization. We also uncovered money laundering.
Dr. Hiran noted that illegal betting sites evade taxes and transfer money abroad without reporting.
— There’s clear tax evasion and capital flight. We must regulate urgently — even retroactively for five years of unpaid taxes.
Senator Damares Alves (Republicanos-DF), who initially suggested inviting Lucimério, noted similar investigations across other states.
— Operation Master Trick in Pará (R$ 23 million); Virtual Claws in Goiás; Vegas in Rio Grande do Sul; Dirty Game in Maranhão and Piauí (30+ arrests); 777 in Mato Grosso (19+ arrests); and Giza in Ceará. Congratulations to the brave officers. You’re making a huge difference for Brazil. Don’t give up! — said Damares.
Source: Agência Senado
Edited by: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com