A Brazilian man who allegedly defrauded 11 women of $355,000 after meeting them on dating apps has now been arrested.
Caio da Silva was taken into custody on March 22 at a restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, where he was lured by his victims, who created a fake profile on Tinder, according to Fantástico, a news magazine broadcast on TV Globo.
They began retaliating after one of the victims, Taya Banharo, learned of a June 2023 Fantástico report that said da Silva had targeted other women.
Banharo, who met da Silva on the dating app while she was in the hospital and at one point was scammed out of nearly $200, contacted other women and set up a group chat.
By then, da Silva had disappeared from the dating app world, only to return several months later. They were able to track down his whereabouts after one of the women discovered he had used her credit card.
Caio da Silva, who is under investigation for defrauding women he met on the dating app, was arrested on March 22 in Rio de Janeiro. His arrest was made possible after his victims got together and created a fake profile with the photo of a woman he thought he was meeting at a restaurant on the day he was arrested
Taya Banharo was scammed of almost $200 by Brazilian Tinder scammer Caio da Silva, but she was able to get her money back
Talita Silva, a lawyer from Rio de Janeiro, managed to get back the $9,000 she lent to Caio da Silva during their relationship
Banharo created a fake profile and, with the help of the other women, was able to chat with da Silva via WhatsApp until they could arrange a date.
“We spoke to him via WhatsApp until we got the arrest warrant. When the arrest warrant came out, I arranged a meeting with him,” Banharo said.
Da Silva thought he was going to meet Banharo at a restaurant on March 22 and was instead greeted by police, who arrested him.
“The investigation has shown that he is a committed criminal,” said Fábio Souza, head of Rio de Janeiro’s civil police. ‘And worst of all, he kept talking to other potential victims. His arrest was essential to prevent other people from falling for his scam.”
To his victims on Tinder, Caio da Silva identified himself as a soap opera actor, a music composer, a real estate owner and a wealthy man.
Banharo created a fake profile and, with the help of the other women, was able to chat with da Silva (photo) via WhatsApp until they could arrange a date
According to Fantástico, da Silva had a two-month relationship with a member of the Rio de Janeiro military police.
“Everything that has been investigated is a civil offense, merely a failure to comply with what was agreed between the parties,” his lawyers told the newspaper.
Da Silva was once investigated for defrauding five women in nearby São Paulo state and was convicted of embezzlement in 2019. But his sentence was commuted to community service, which he never met.
Da Silva often told his victims that he was a soap opera actor, a music composer, a real estate owner and a wealthy man but with financial problems.
He defrauded one of his victims, who preferred not to reveal her name, after telling her that he was the only person who had inherited his late grandfather’s properties and that he had problems with several farms. He would introduce them to his children.
A São Paulo woman, whose name was also withheld, recalled taking out a bank loan of almost $3,000 because da Silva said he had to pay a fine for one of the farms. She ended up lending him almost $29,000.
Talita Silva, a lawyer from Rio de Janeiro, had luck on her side and was able to get back the $9,000 she lent to da Silva, who also told her that he had to pay a fine imposed on his farm and that he did too. no access to his bank account because it is blocked.
“His profile caught my attention because he demonstrated from the beginning and said he didn’t want anything informal,” Silva told Fantástico in July 2023.
Another victim, who did not reveal her name, reportedly endured the same treatment Silva was subjected to in the early stages of her relationship and soon fell for da Silva.
“I thought he was a handsome man, very charming, he talked a lot,” she said at the time. ‘And then he already conquers in conversations. That’s what he posts a lot in his videos, in which he gives women tips on what the perfect type of man is.’