An individual who gained popularity as an influencer is accused of deceiving an online partner by pretending to be a cancer patient and extorting £30,000 from them.
The suspect, identified as Luís Felipe de Oliveira, is being pursued by law enforcement following a court ruling on March 4 that ordered his detention pending trial. Oliveira, 23 years old, faces charges of committing online fraud. A civil court in Cotia, Brazil, has mandated him to compensate the victim, a local man, with 10,000 BRL (£1,432).
Operating under the alias Felipe Heystee on social media with a substantial following, the influencer allegedly assumed the persona of a 19-year-old female cancer-stricken student on a dating platform.
Over a span of more than two years, Oliveira reportedly engaged in a virtual relationship with the victim, extracting 207,000 BRL (£29,642) from them between May 2022 and August 2024.
The victim, aged 46, believed he was romantically involved with a student named Luana, described as blue-eyed with long hair, who shared his interest in antiques. The victim thought the funds he provided were aiding Luana in covering medical expenses, rent arrears, and food deliveries.
In correspondence, Luana requested 730 BRL (£105) for medical tests, mentioning the need for an ultrasound and a pap smear to check for cancer, along with a reminder about unpaid health insurance premiums.
Despite exchanging endearments like “love” and “sweetie,” the pair never met in person or engaged in video calls. The victim noted that Luana claimed to be very shy during their conversations.
Their communication was limited to a single phone call, during which the victim found the female voice suspicious. He also noticed that most of his transfers were directed to accounts under Felipe’s name, raising doubts.
The deception began to unravel when the victim conducted a reverse-image search on a photo of Luana and her mother, discovering that the image belonged to a different influencer. He reached out to the girl’s parents on social media, who confirmed that their daughter did not know Felipe, suggesting that he had misappropriated the photo.
The compensation ordered by the civil court remains unpaid, and the criminal trial is pending. Authorities have frozen over 200,000 BRL (£28,640) in Oliveira’s accounts to potentially reimburse the victim.
Prosecutors suspect that Oliveira may have victimized others. Following the incident, the victim has decided to refrain from pursuing new relationships, expressing disillusionment and stating, “It was my last try. I don’t want to get involved with anyone else. I’ll just stay an uncle for life.”
