PF conducts operation against Caixa fraud involving Emergency Aid

The Federal Police launched an operation in five states to combat a fraud scheme at Caixa Econômica Federal on the morning of this Wednesday (10).

Operation Falso Egídio targets a criminal organization that caused an estimated loss of R$10 million in bank income transfer programs, such as Emergency Aid.

Around 80 federal police officers are executing 11 temporary arrest warrants and 16 search and seizure warrants in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Amazonas, Mato Grosso do Sul and Piauí.

The suspects will be charged with qualified theft, inserting false data into an information system and money laundering, as well as being part of a criminal organization.

The action is the result of a joint investigation between the PF and Caixa that began in April 2023. The investigation found the participation of an employee and two outsourced employees of the bank in the scheme.

According to the PF, they were co-opted by the gang in exchange for bribes to grant the criminals access to the CAIXA-TEM application.

The platform manages the financial institution’s digital accounts and the amounts of social benefits such as Emergency Aid.

After release, the criminals took over third-party accounts and diverted funds from income transfer programs.

Several bank accounts were opened in the names of homeless people to receive large sums of money from other clients.

The investigation concluded that the accounts were opened in the name of third parties who were unaware of the fraud. They were used to store the embezzled money and then transfer the amounts among members of the criminal organization.

Caixa Econômica Federal informed the CNN in a note, which fully cooperates with public security agencies in investigations and operations to combat crimes in the institution.

The bank also says that information on suspected fraud and other criminal events at Caixa are considered confidential and passed on exclusively to the competent authorities.