Brazilian police recently uncovered a bizarre fraud case. A 37-year-old woman allegedly pretended to be a 12-year-old girl for an extended period, tricking a family into “adopting” her for 14 months. Not only did the adoptive family dote on the woman, but they also held a birthday party for their “daughter” before the scheme was ultimately exposed by a family relative.
On June 2, Brazilian police arrested the woman, who is currently being held under investigation for fraud and identity forgery.
According to reports from the Daily Mail and other outlets, the 37-year-old woman used the fake name “Gabrielle” to commit the scam. She first sought help from a church, falsely claiming to be a minor who had just escaped an abusive home in the state of Pará, northern Brazil. After gaining the trust of the pastor and congregation—and receiving financial aid—she was referred to a well-meaning family to live with.
After being adopted, in order to maintain her “child” identity, the woman deliberately behaved like a young girl, including using baby bottles and pacifiers, and even insisted on sleeping with a comfort blanket. She spoke in a higher-pitched voice and repeatedly pretended to have panic attacks at night, all to convince her adoptive parents that she was truly a “child in need of care.”
Claimed She Was Forced to Take Hormone Injections, Explaining Mature Appearance
The family not only threw her a 12th birthday party, but also planned to pay for weight-loss medication and were preparing to formally adopt her. To avoid exposure from going to school, she claimed she was afraid her abusive father would find her, which made the family even more sympathetic. As her appearance differed from that of a typical child her age, she explained her mature looks by claiming she had “autism, long-term abuse, and was forced to undergo hormone injections.” The elaborate ruse only came to an end when a relative of the adoptive family grew suspicious and called the police.
Upon further investigation, police discovered the woman is actually a “serial scammer,” who has used similar tactics in other regions like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais. In a 2023 case, she also impersonated a 12-year-old girl, claimed to have suffered abuse and “ritualistic witchcraft” to garner sympathy; she even went so far as to self-harm, inserting over 100 needles into her own body to reinforce her victim narrative.