Brazilian Influencers Arrested for Staging Fake Online Casino Wins

Two Brazilian social media influencers were arrested Tuesday after they pretended to win huge prizes from an online casino game they were paid to promote, according to prosecutors.

Ianka Cristini and her husband, Bruno Martins, flaunted their “multimillionaire” lifestyle to their 15 million followers across Instagram and TikTok while claiming they could make their audience rich.

But on Tuesday, they were charged with fraud, organized crime, and money laundering as police seized apartments and houses belonging to the couple, as well as luxury vehicles, including a McLaren 720 Spider and an armored Cadillac Escalade.

The Tiger Game

In addition to using her profile to teach her followers about her personal formula for wealth, which she called her “Digital Success Code,” Cristini promoted casino sites, particularly a game called “Jogo do Tigrinho,” or “Tiger Game.”

Cristini was regularly seen winning huge amounts of money on Jogo do Tigrinho, but these wins were staged, according to prosecutors.

Cristini also sold an online course to teach her followers how to win at gambling and “to get rich without leaving your house,” prosecutors said.

A third arrest warrant was served against Talia Pereira Ribas, Cristini’s sister-in-law and advisor. A judge ordered the three suspects to remain in custody, citing flight risk.

Fake Games

Jogo do Tigrinho is a mobile slot game originally developed by Malta-based game studio PG Soft that has become a huge craze in Brazil, driven largely by social media influencers.

There have been numerous reports of fake versions of the game, which are used by scammers to defraud unsuspecting players. Typically, players are presented with a link to a version of the game and are asked to deposit money, but when they try to withdraw winnings, they find they cannot, and their deposits have been stolen.

PG Soft recently launched an “official game verification system” to help users ensure the game they are playing is the real deal.

These fake games not only compromise the immersive experience PG Soft is known for, but they can also introduce serious risks,” the company wrote on its website. “Counterfeit games often come loaded with malware or unauthorized code that can steal your personal information or cause privacy breaches. Worse yet, investments made in these fake games are not protected, meaning you wont receive any support if things go wrong.”

It’s unclear whether the game promoted by Cristini and Martins was the real or a fake version of Jogo do Tigrinho.