‘I was emotionally trapped’, says victim who lost R$890,000 to Tinder scammer

“It was July 2022 when we met on a dating app. I had been divorced for about two years and was in the process of applying. As in all cases of his victims (Caio Henrique Camossatto), in the beginning, he showed himself to be a flirtatious and family guy. He said what I wanted to hear, made me feel as if I were in a very important relationship. It was six months of dating. Maybe I was the one who lasted the longest, because I think he saw me as a great source of financial resources. During this time, I was emotionally trapped. And, when you are in a financial situation, you either believe that what they tell you is real or you go crazy.

To me, he introduced himself as a music producer. In the first meeting we scheduled, he showed up in a helicopter. So, Caio wasted a lot. Not that this was important to me, but perhaps because of what he came to know about me, my trajectory, it was relevant to the narrative.

During these months that we were together, he showed me what part of his personal life would be. The story had to be very real. So, I met his mother, stepfather, sister, children and ex-wife, for example. He made sure my son was always present too, he brought him close. We went to parties and many places where he was known, and I helped him organize events, such as family birthdays. The story he puts together makes it very difficult to disbelieve, he involves you a lot.

From the first day, Caio said that he wasn’t one to spend time with many people, but that he felt a lot of connection with me. He said that if I wanted to be with him, that we would have to date from that moment on.

The requests for money, however, came early, always with the same story. He said he had a financial problem at that time and that the card had been blocked, that the account was blocked. He said he had a bad name because he owed taxes on his family’s farm. He asked for help to solve it, said that he would sell the farm and that, when the money came in, he would return it. But that money doesn’t fall. And then, you are already in a situation of financial involvement. It’s that moment when you understand that you may be being deceived. It had been three months to this point.

When I started to notice that the promises of returning this money were not being fulfilled, I started researching some processes. That was when he started telling me different things about his life, which my lawyer, Jacqueline Valles, believes were just stories to trap me. Caio started talking about his involvement in crimes, for example, and with criminal organizations. That’s when I found myself emotionally trapped in that situation.

From those three months onwards, I started trying to protect myself, recording things. At this point, I had already begun to understand what was happening. But then he arrived with a security guard, I think he was feeling the pressure of everything that was happening. He said that this security guard was because of the music business and started creating more stories to try to keep me trapped there.

Shame and fear

To free myself from this situation, I needed to find the courage to share the story with my family. But there was a lot of shame and fear, guilt. That’s why I didn’t share it with anyone. When I had the courage to tell my mother, I started to understand things better, because a lot of things you can’t see.

When, in fact, I understood everything, I started looking for lawyers and found the person who represents me today, Dr. Jacqueline. I knew that the financial part would be difficult to recover, but I wanted, in some way, that other women could know my story. We then started looking for cases and found another victim of his.

I have had my faith tested many times. I disbelieved a lot of things, and, obviously, I felt emotionally bad. I went through the saddest moments, even depressive, I would say. But I didn’t let that sum up my life, so I moved on. Today, I have managed this better within myself.

Difficult process

It’s very difficult to find yourself in a situation like this. It’s a difficult process. Even for the amount (R$890 thousand), it is something that changed the course of my life. These were my resources, from the sale of my first property. Much of this amount came from this sale, but he also used my cards. And admitting your fragility to people is the most complicated thing.

His arrest, on the 22nd, by the 34th DP (Bangu), in Rio, made me have some of my faith renewed. Because all the women who fell for his scam fell for believing in others, in human beings. Because I believed that he had a good heart and thought that, in fact, they were helping.

And to see him, over these years, getting away with so many situations, of not being notified, of processes not working out is complex. This outcome, obviously, brought satisfaction.

I hope he stays in prison for a long time. I don’t believe that will happen. Because, after all, in Justice there are many things involved. But I would like him to spend a long time in prison. Even though I think it won’t change him as a human being. If he leaves, he’ll keep doing it. But, who knows, it might be a way to pay a little for the loss he caused to so many people.”