Clay ‘iPhone’: influencer arrested on suspicion of selling fake cell phones; victim suffered losses of R$ 13 thousand | Minas Gerais

A 31-year-old man was arrested this Thursday (25) on suspicion of sell fake cell phones made with clay, in Belo Horizonte. According to the Civil Police, he is digital influencer and has almost 300 thousand followers on social media.

The investigations began after the victim went to a police station in Barreiro to report having suffered a blow. She said she saw an ad on marketplace of a social network, of two cell phones of the model iPhone 15 Pro Max per R$ 13 thousand.

The woman spoke to the seller via a messaging app and arranged to meet him on February 23 to make payment and receive the devices. At the agreed location, she ended up being threatened by the suspect, who said he was armed..

“Once there, the seller presented the two devices in the product’s original box. The victim wanted to check the contents of the box and, when she tried to open it, the author threatened her, claiming to be armed and demanding that she transfer the value of R$ 13 thousand per PIX”, explained delegate Gabriel Teixeira.

According to him, the victim made the payment and, after the man left the place by car, opened the box and came across fake phones, made of clay. (see the delegate’s explanation in the video below).

Police Chief Gabriel Teixeira talks about how the suspect of selling clay phones acted

This Thursday, the Civil Police served a preventive arrest warrant for the suspect, in the Camargos neighborhood, in the West Region of BH. The police also carried out search and seizure warrants at his home and that of his father, who would be responsible for the PIX key.

The person under investigation denied the crime, but, according to the police chief, The evidence points to his indictment for the crime of extortion increased by the use of a firearm.

“It draws attention to the fact that the author has a large number of followers on the social network. We can call him an influencer, and this, without a doubt, gives a certain credibility to this deal that he tried to negotiate with the victim who, later , it was discovered that it was a criminal offense”, stated the delegate.

The police ask that other possible victims of similar scams contact the police station to file a report.