Overview
- Federal Police executed nine search‑and‑seizure warrants in Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo under Operação AD PHISHING to collect evidence and identify suspects.
- Investigators have linked 1,770 fraudulent digital advertisements to dozens of fake pages and domains that posed as public services to lure users.
- The operation found the fraudsters used official logos, colors and institutional design elements together with AI‑generated text and images to increase the ads’ apparent legitimacy.
- Prosecutors are assessing charges that may include misuse of public seals, fraud (estelionato), criminal association, falsity and money laundering as they map financial flows and roles.
- Officials say the inquiry aims to stop the ad campaign, trace money and reveal the network behind the scheme while highlighting risks to citizens who could lose money or have personal data stolen.