Brazilian police dismantle deepfake celebrity scam involving R$20 million
Brazilian police dismantled a criminal organization that used deepfake videos of celebrities including Gisele Bündchen to fraudulently promote non-existent beauty products, moving approximately R$20 million. The operation arrested four suspects and seized assets worth up to R$210 million across five states.
What happened
On October 1, 2025, Brazilian police launched Operation Modo Selva to dismantle a criminal organization using deepfake videos of celebrities to commit fraud. The organization created fake videos of supermodel Gisele Bündchen and other celebrities including Angélica, Juliette, Maísa, and Sabrina Sato to advertise non-existent beauty products.
Victims were attracted by advertisements falsely promoting free anti-wrinkle kits or travel luggage supposedly recommended by the celebrities. The scam involved charging victims shipping fees for products that did not exist. The investigation began after a victim reported paying R$44.57 in shipping costs for a fraudulent product in August 2024.
Reported impact
The criminal organization moved approximately R$20 million through the scheme. Police seized and made unavailable 10 vehicles, blocked 21 financial assets including cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts totaling potentially R$210 million.
Index analysis
The deepfake videos were distributed through social media platforms to maximize victim reach. The organization also operated a cloned fake betting platform to launder proceeds from the fraud.
Governance controls
Police coordinated with the Public Ministry and worked with the Judiciary to execute 26 court orders, including seven arrest warrants and nine search and seizure warrants across five Brazilian states. Four suspects were arrested as of the operation date, with three remaining at large.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.