Fake Brazilian Government Portal Targets Players With Betting Refund Scam

Fraudsters in Brazil have copied a government information portal to solicit payments from people supposedly entitled to refunds from closed betting platforms.

SBT News reported on October 22 that the imitation website reproduces the appearance of the official Brasil sem Bets page. After requesting a CPF, Brazil’s individual taxpayer identification number, it displays fictitious amounts presented as recoverable betting balances.

According to the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming, known as IBJR, users are then asked to pay a purported tax through Pix before receiving the money. 

Finance Ministry Says Refunds Carry No Fee

The Finance Ministry’s Secretariat of Prizes and Betting, SPA, told SBT News it had not received complaints about the reported scheme at the time of its response.

The authority nevertheless stressed that no fee is charged for returning players’ remaining balances. It advised people against making payments or providing personal and banking information in response to messages requesting such charges.

SPA said remaining refunds would be handled exclusively through state-owned Caixa Econômica Federal. It also said payment channels used by fraudsters are investigated and associated financial accounts blocked once identified. 

Official Process Uses Operator Records

The legitimate refund process followed a government timetable established after Brazil’s September 25 prohibition of fixed-odds betting.

Players had until 11:59pm on October 5 to withdraw funds directly from affected platforms. Betting websites and applications were required to become unavailable from October 6.

Operators then had to send financial institutions records of remaining customer balances, identified by CPF and the bank accounts originally used for deposits. Banks were scheduled to return those funds between October 9 and 14.

Where operational difficulties prevented repayment, Caixa would act as the intermediary from October 14. 

The official Brasil sem Bets page provides information about that timetable and directs people who have not received their money to Caixa. It does not offer a paid service to unlock betting refunds.