Police arrested a man who was found with more than 300 stolen cell phones. The gang he led was considered one of the largest in São Paulo.
Because it is an “easy” target and contains a lot of personal information about the victims, many criminals bet on stealing cell phones. Recently, on Tuesday, the Civil Police of São Paulo arrested a man, who is known as the “biggest cell phone receiver in Brazil”. The man was in possession of 312 cell phones, which were stolen or robbed in several cities in São Paulo.
The police gained access to the criminal after the victims were able to access the location of the devices after the theft. The man, an African from Guinea-Bissau, had a device unlocking center in order to access the bank accounts on the cell phones and make transactions.
Find out all the details about this case and discover what happened to these devices stolen by the man's gang.
Largest cell phone receiver in the country
The 50-year-old man was found in a location containing several computers equipped with programs that bypassed access to the devices and allowed transactions in banking applications. After accessing the devices, they were wrapped in plastic film and placed in suitcases, where they were sent to countries in Africa.
According to police, of the 312 devices, 64 had complaints of theft or theft. According to the information, the man was already wanted by the authorities for receiving stolen goods, thanks to investigations into robberies and thefts of smartphones, where victims were attacked and killed in the state of São Paulo recently.
The police also reported that the man was responsible for receiving the stolen devices and that he was the head of the organization responsible for unlocking the cell phones and hacking into banking applications.
Even seizing cell phones from different brands, most of the devices iPhone era. The devices will undergo analysis by the police and will be returned to their owners.
Numbers
According to data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum, the number of stolen or robbed devices in the state of São Paulo increased by approximately 19.7% in 2022. Most of the devices are stolen on the streets, in subway stations or from cars that are stopped in traffic. Several gangs of receivers are spread throughout the center of São Paulo, mainly around Rua Guaianases, where the man was arrested.
What happens to the devices?
After the robbery or theft, the gangs change the IMEI of the devices, to circumvent the blocking done by the telephone operators. The devices that did not have the IMEI changed are sent to countries where the Anatel blocking does not work, which in this case, was Africa.
After unlocking the cell phones, the criminals are able to create bank accounts with false data and make financial transactions. After this, the devices are dismantled and the parts are sold at various commercial points in the city center.
The police had access to messages exchanged between members of the gang, with negotiations to purchase data such as CPF numbers, ID numbers, contact details, addresses and e-mails of the victims. The amounts charged for the information started at R$$50.00.
With this data in hand, criminals can falsify documents and create accounts in digital banks and register for federal government social programs. This allows them to make loans, financing and transfer funds to other accounts.
How to protect yourself
It is important to activate two-factor authentication on apps, especially social media, banking apps and emails. It is also important to have a backup email address for password recovery that is not logged into the device. In cases of theft, it is best to request that the device and SIM card be blocked, in addition to filing a police report so that the police are aware.
