The 29-year-old was placed in pre-trial detention after the Coimbra Public Prosecutor’s Office charged him with 28 offences of qualified fraud, mainly related to fraud related to the sale of goods on the Internet.
In a note published on the website of the Department of Investigation and Criminal Affairs (DIAP) of Coimbra, the Public Prosecutor’s Office said the accused was arrested on suspicion of committing 28 crimes of qualified fraud, one of which was attempted, two crimes of forgery of documents and one of money laundering.
“The facts point to a fraudulent scheme that involved the defendant posting ads on social media, specifically on Marketplace. [espaço no Facebook]”about the alleged sale of various assets, mainly cars, that did not belong to him,” the Coimbra Ministry of State (MP) said.
The young man is suspected of using false names and claiming to be a car dealer or a representative of companies engaged in this activity.
“The victims, convinced that the allegations were true, upon the defendant’s instructions to pay the alleged price, transferred the corresponding amounts to bank accounts controlled by him or made payments using an organization and link created by him and intended directly for the online game accounts” that would be used by the defendant.
According to a note published in DIAP, the PJ Center’s management carried out searches of the home and outside of it, as well as computer searches, which “made it possible to seize relevant evidentiary elements.”
After the judicial interrogation, the young man was detained on a preventive basis.