Portugal Arrests Two Brazilians Involved in Passport Forgery Scheme

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Portuguese authorities have dismantled an international gang that sold high quality forgeries of documents from several countries. In the operation, conducted in Lisbon, two Brazilians – a man and a woman – were arrested.

Hundreds of high quality documents, special printers, stamps and computers dedicated to fraud were seized.

“We have the information that this was one of the most important seizures made in recent years in Europe, given the capacity to produce and diversify documents that were being produced,” said Cristina Gatões, director of SEF (Foreigners and Borders Service), the body responsible for immigration in Portugal.

Investigations began in 2018, by the United Kingdom police, but took on an increasingly international dimension as the authorities uncovered parts of the scheme. The European Police (EUROPOL) and the Federal Police of Brazil were also involved.

The two Brazilians arrested had previously lived in the United Kingdom, having recently moved to Portugal.

The decision to carry out the arrests on Monday, September 28th, came precisely because of the suspects’ high level of mobility – and the potential risk of flight.

According to the investigation, the group sold the forgeries on the so-called dark web – the section of the internet that is not reached by common search engines and is often used for illegal activities. Payment for the services was made through bitcoins, a difficult to trace crypto-currency.

Each forged document cost about ten thousand euros (R$65,000).

“In the course of this investigation, we were able to establish that the falsified documents were sold online and were sent by post to countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, the Netherlands, Brazil and the United States,” explained the SEF director.

Last week alone, the Portuguese authorities intercepted approximately 150 forged documents in the post office. The Portuguese emphasize the high quality of the forgeries.

“Hundreds of high quality documents were seized. These documents, for those without police powers, will be cleared by any private or even public body. They are used to open bank accounts or for other purposes within the European Union,” added the SEF director.

The majority of forged documents were Portuguese passports. But given the demand, the counterfeiters extended the copies to other segments and nationalities, including other European and Arab countries as well as Brazil.

Source: Folhapress