Impostor posing as Luís Castro tried to extort Léo Ortiz | OneFootball

A man who posed as Grêmio head coach Luís Castro tried to extort Flamengo defender Léo Ortiz. He was arrested in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday morning, 2 September, and identified as Lucas de Oliveira Eduardo, 29, a former Grêmio youth player.

According to Coluna Do Fla, before approaching Léo Ortiz the scam had already succeeded against Grêmio forward Enamorado, with R$ 22,000 taken via WhatsApp while impersonating the coach.

When attempting to obtain money from Léo Ortiz and the funk artist MC Hariel, the scammer used a different, as yet unidentified, name. By then officers were monitoring him and warned both men in advance, preventing any financial loss.

The scheme relied on fake messaging profiles posing as the Portuguese coach, requesting PIX transfers from footballers and even using his photo to add credibility.

Eduardo has been placed in preventive custody and is under investigation for two offences, electronic fraud and false identity. A court has formalised the detention while the case continues.

Grêmio defender Walter Kannemann was also contacted, but he became suspicious and went to the police before transferring money, with the scammer even telling him to train earlier that day. Former player Andrés D’Alessandro was approached too, and the list of possible victims is growing as the probe progresses. The inquiry is being led by Porto Alegre’s 4th Police Station under Operation Falso 9.

Source: Coluna Do Fla

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”