In Canoas, a city in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, a state school director was defrauded of R$ 144,000 by individuals posing as Google employees. The criminals contacted her, claiming that the school’s information on Google was outdated, and proposed an update that they claimed was crucial for enhancing the school's visibility. They subsequently sent a contract for advertising services, which turned out to be part of their fraudulent scheme.

The Civil Police have identified a lawyer based in São Paulo as a suspect coordinating a call center linked to this scam. Delegada Luciane Bertoletti noted that this scheme is notable for its unique approach, differing from common cybercrimes the police usually encounter. Given the increasing sophistication of scams involving impersonation of reputable entities like Google, this incident highlights the need for improved awareness and preventive measures among individuals and organizations against such fraudulent activities.

The news has sparked concern regarding the security of information and transactions in the digital age. Authorities are urging people to be vigilant and verify the authenticity of solicitations, especially when they appear to come from well-known companies. As of the latest update, the g1 team has not received a response from Google about the case, indicating a possible gap in communication between tech giants and the public regarding cybercrime.