Leiria, Portugal, April 10, 2025 (Lusa) - The defendant detained on remand in a case of "hi dad, hi mum" scams, which is said to have harmed dozens of people across the country, told the Leiria Judicial Court on Thursday that he was unaware of the fraud.
"I did it, but I didn't realise I was committing fraud," the defendant told the panel of judges, using a translator.
Seven men and three companies are on trial. The three main defendants, one of whom is in pre-trial detention, are charged with the offences of qualified fraud and criminal association in co-authorship.
Another four suspects and their three companies are charged with the offence of speculation.
The defendants, aged between 22 and 67, live in Greater Lisbon and the attempted and completed scams totalled €109,235.60 and harmed 41 people, according to the indictment issued by the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP).
In the indictment, the Public Prosecutor said that the three main defendants are part of an organised group of people who "dedicate themselves to the massive practice of scams", known as "hi dad, hi mum" or "false family", making a living out of it" and “withdrawing dividends, which are then divided among the members of the group according to their hierarchy”.
These three defendants, at the base of the group, were responsible for "mass provision of SIM cards [mobile phones], in “modems”, which are configured in applications accessible to the other members of the group via the server and which then provide for the creation of accounts in the WhatsApp application and their use with potential victims".
Others, in turn, "provide entities/references and bank accounts for the victims to make the payments" and, in this way, "the amounts paid enter the circuits of countless financial flows".
The Public Prosecutor's Office explained that the defendant in pre-trial detention, who has been living in Portugal since 2019, accepted a proposal from another person (whom the investigation was unable to locate) to insert SIM cards into modems.
In the room where he lived, he began inserting SIM cards into the seven devices sent to him by the proposer, receiving up to €1,225 a month in return.
To work, the machines needed an application installed remotely by the bidder on the defendant's computer. The bidder placed the SIM cards in the machines and entered the number and PIN into the application. The other two main defendants ordered and bought the cards.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the bidder paid for this activity through cryptocurrencies to the account of the detained suspect, who managed it with the other two.
At the trial, the detainee confirmed that he bought SIM cards from the other two main defendants, which he inserted into a device with the respective codes, but said he "never sent a message to anyone".
Adding that he worked for a school friend (who has not been located) who approached him to do so in exchange for a salary, the detainee also confirmed that he received the devices and paid for them.
According to the detainee, this friend installed the application on his computer that would allow him to send fraudulent messages and who also "sent the money and gave the orders to buy the cards".
The detainee even questioned his friend about his "work", to which he replied, "It's nothing illegal; it's just marketing and publicity".
He also said that he had contacted a dealer who sold the devices into which the SIM cards were inserted and had been told that "it was legal," so he continued to do so.
The other two main defendants confirmed they were contacted because they indicated that SIM cards were being sold on Marketplace.
These two suspects confirmed that the detained defendant paid them in bitcoins. Both acknowledged that they were suspicious about the number of cards purchased, but they explained that they were used to "make videos for YouTube and social networks".
Three other defendants also made statements during the morning session, and the trial will continue on the 24th.
SR/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
