An 81-year-old man had his account hacked and lost nearly R$200,000 in 2019. In this case, it is suspected Bitcoin market fraud, as the amount likely underwent a conversion to this digital currency. This is because brokerages like Mercado Bitcoin work directly as a bridge between the consumer and cryptocurrencies, similar to a stock brokerage. However, the risk of fraud in this type of transaction is still high depending on the broker.
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Itaú sues Mercado Bitcoin
The Itaú customer noticed that there was an invasion of his account when an amount of approximately R$ 200,000 disappeared from his balance. Soon, he went to the bank branch, recorded what happened and, thus, it was possible to locate Guilherme Arruda Guimarães, suspect of the crime.
In addition, it was observed that the money was laundered, as indicated by publication in the São Paulo Justice Gazette. Apparently, the laundering took place through an Exchange, that is, a conversion of the value in real to Bitcoin (BTC).
It was then that Banco Itaú decided to file a lawsuit against the Mercado Bitcoin brokerage, which soon after blocked the user's account. Thus, it is believed that the conversion took place through this brokerage, as the suspect had an active account there, but Mercado Bitcoin denies the incident.
How did the money laundering happen?
Investigations concluded that the stolen money was converted to cryptocurrencies and then back to real again. This is a money laundering maneuver that seeks to unlink the original amount, but retain the value or even multiply it.
In the meantime, the client of Banco Itaú continues without the return of the amount he lost, although he is now approaching the conclusion of the case. That's because the judge in charge asked for the process to be diligent, while Itaú puts even more pressure on the brokerage firm for the amount to be reimbursed. However, the Exchange continues to deny that it was the target of this money and refuses to make the transfer.
