PJ detains 28-year-old in Guimarães over Instagram scam and MB WAY transfers in Operation "Golden Heart" (€60,000)

Detention in Guimarães

A 28-year-old man has been detained in the municipality of Guimarães for allegedly defrauding women on social media by using fake profiles and promising high financial returns on the transfers made by the victims, the Judicial Police (PJ) said.

How the alleged Instagram approach worked

In a statement, the PJ says the investigation began after a complaint filed in September 2024 and established that the detainee allegedly created fake profiles on Instagram to build trust with victims and, at times, to form relationships of a romantic nature.

The criminal investigation service adds that, once he had gained the victims’ confidence, the man presented himself as an investor in financial markets, offering substantial returns and persuading them to carry out bank transfers, MB WAY payments and other financial transactions.

Identified losses and victims

“Victims never recovered the amounts invested, with the suspect appropriating the sums received. To date, it has been possible to identify five victims and establish financial losses exceeding €60,000, with the investigation continuing in order to identify any other victims and to fully clarify the facts,” the PJ states.

Operation "Golden Heart" and the next steps

Evidence gathered during Operation “Golden Heart” indicates that, despite having no known professional activity, the defendant spent a significant share of those sums on online gambling platforms.

The PJ says various items of evidential material were seized during the operation and will be subject to forensic examination, which may strengthen the evidence already collected.

As part of Operation “Golden Heart”, a house search was carried out in the municipality of Guimarães, in the district of Braga, within an investigation into suspected aggravated fraud and money laundering.

The detainee will be brought before a judge for an initial judicial hearing so that coercive measures can be applied.

The investigation is being led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Póvoa de Lanhoso, in the district of Braga.