A 68-year-old retired woman in São Paulo lost an estimated R$300,000 (roughly US$52,000–56,000 at recent exchange rates) to a scammer posing online as Jimin of BTS. The case was first reported by Diario de Pernambuco, a daily newspaper based in Recife, and republished earlier in November by Imirante, the news site.
What happened
Citing police records, the report says the woman was in online contact with the impostor for about four months. Over that time he sent affectionate messages, presented the exchange as a close relationship and promised to send her expensive gifts.
The scammer then claimed the gifts were held up in Brazilian customs and demanded that she pay customs fees to release them. She made several payments and took out bank loans to cover them, the outlet reported.
After realising she had been deceived, she blocked the profile and reported the case. São Paulo's Civil Police are investigating with the aim of tracing and dismantling the network behind the scam, according to the same report.
The published reports do not name the victim, the platform the scammer used, or what specific gifts were promised. There is no indication that Jimin or his agency had any connection to the account.
A wider pattern in Brazil
