Associated Incidents
A 24-year-old man was arrested for being part of a criminal group that used manipulated videos with deepfake of the image and voice of TV presenter Marcos Mion to commit scams, this Friday (9), in Santa Helena de Goiás.
According to the Civil Police of the Federal District, the arrest took place during the second phase of Operation "VoiceOver", continuing actions that took place in January. The action aims to dismantle the group that promoted false promotions for the Outback restaurant chain.
"The victims were directed to fake websites developed by the suspect, where they made payments for non-existent discount vouchers", said the police.
The warrant was served against the suspect, who was arrested at his residence. He was responsible for developing websites identical to Outback to deceive victims, which served as tools for carrying out the scams.
Search and seizure warrants were also served to collect electronic equipment and documents, in addition to blocking the suspect's bank accounts.
The man confessed to participating in the scheme during questioning and detailed his role in creating and maintaining the fraudulent websites.
The Civil Police are continuing their investigations and the suspect will be charged with the crimes of electronic fraud, criminal association and money laundering, which could result in a sentence of 21 years in prison.
In a statement, Outback stated that it recognizes the importance of police work and reiterated that it would only advertise benefits and promotions on its official channels.
"We currently have a technology structure that quickly and efficiently identifies and takes down these fake websites and ads involving our brand to help combat online scams," the restaurant chain pointed out.
The press office of presenter Marcos Mion also spoke out. See the full statement:
"We reiterate to the public that any action, campaign or initiative involving Marcos Mion will always be disclosed exclusively through his official channels. Legal measures are underway to ensure that all those responsible are duly identified and held accountable. Our commitment remains to transparency and truth."