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Fake police call scam in Brazil: a video call to steal your face
Police in southern Brazil warn of callers posing as officers who push victims onto a video call to capture their face and voice for fraud. How it works and what to do.
A caller says he is a police officer, claims you are part of an investigation, and then offers to settle everything over a video call. That script triggered recent warnings from police in southern Brazil. On October 28, 2026, Santa Catarina's Civil Police (Criciúma region) warned that criminals pose as officers from the criminal investigation unit, demand personal data and threaten to take people to a station, as reported by Rádio Fundação Marconi. A similar alert in Rio Grande do Sul, reported by A Plateia on October 21, described fake police staff who push a video call as an "alternative".
How does the fake police scam work?
- The caller ID may show a police station name, which can be spoofed.
- The scammer quotes real personal data, usually from leaks, to sound credible.
- He creates fear: come to a distant station now or face legal trouble.
- He offers a video call instead and asks you to show your face, turn your head, speak and show documents.
- The recorded face and voice can later be used to try to beat facial recognition, open accounts or take over apps.
What can criminals do with your face and voice?
A warning from Campinas' municipal guard, reported by Bonde, lists opening accounts or loans in your name, cloning your voice to ask relatives for money, recovering passwords protected by face checks and deepfake extortion.
Do police really call to ask for data?
Santa Catarina's Civil Police said it does not request information by phone or message. Knowing your details does not prove someone is an official. The U.S. FTC warned on October 22 about a very similar script; see our fake FTC call story.
| The scammer says | The reality |
|---|---|
| "You are under investigation and must come now" | Summonses follow formal channels and deadlines |
| "We can settle this by video call" | Police do not take statements over an unexpected video call |
| "Call this number to confirm" | Check only on your state Civil Police's official website |
| "Don't tell anyone" | A demand for secrecy is a classic scam sign |
Why is the video call the real target?
Banks and apps in Brazil increasingly rely on facial checks to approve logins, password resets and new accounts. A few seconds of video in which the victim looks at the camera, turns the head and speaks can give criminals raw material to attempt those checks or to clone a voice. The damage may only appear weeks later, in an account or loan the victim never knew existed. That is why police advise refusing video calls from unknown callers altogether, rather than trying to judge whether the person on the other side looks official.
What to do
- Hang up; refuse video calls from strangers; never share codes or passwords.
- Verify only through the official police website, never the number the caller gives.
- If you already joined a call: file a police report, alert your banks, check for accounts opened in your name and warn family that your voice may be misused.
More: fake bank call center, AI voice cloning, synthetic identity fraud and our safety tips.
Fuente
- Rádio Fundação Marconi — Polícia Civil (SC) alerta para golpe de ligações falsas em nome de policiais
- Jornal A Plateia — Polícia alerta para golpe com falsos servidores de delegacias
- Bonde — Alerta: falso órgão público que solicita videochamada
- Polícia Civil de Santa Catarina