Woman accused of conning families by posing as girl, 12, celebrates 38th birthday in jail

Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira has been accused of posing as a vulnerable 12-year-old girl to trick families across Brazil into housing her. She is facing fraud and false-identity charges

A woman who is accused of fooling families into believing she was a vulnerable 12-year-old girl has celebrated her 38th birthday in prison.

Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira has been held at Joinville Women’s Prison since June 2 after being arrested over allegations that she posed as an abandoned girl and deceived families in several Brazilian states.

Prosecutors have charged her with fraud and false identity, and the suspect marked her 38th birthday behind bars on June 10.

She was arrested after allegedly living with her latest family for 14 months before the supposed deception was uncovered. Police said Souza de Oliveira presented herself to the family as a girl called Gabriele.

Court records reportedly show that she first approached the family through a church pastor, saying she was 18, had experience in baking and was looking for work. But after the couple allowed her to stay temporarily, she allegedly began claiming she had health problems and no money.

Police said Souza de Oliveira later changed her story and told the family she was only 11 and had been abused. The couple believed they were helping a vulnerable child and even organised a party to celebrate what they thought was her 12th birthday.

Souza de Oliveira was arrested after a relative of the family became suspicious, and police said she has since been indicted for fraud and false identity. Nutritionist Renata Magalhaes, who claims she was targeted by the same scam in Rio de Janeiro in 2023, claimed Souza de Oliveira researched how to imitate a child and how to copy the behaviour of an autistic teenager.

Renata, a clinical child nutritionist with an emphasis on autism, said Souza de Oliveira’s alleged act worked because autism is diagnosed through clinical signs rather than laboratory tests. She claimed Souza de Oliveira used drawings, childish behaviour and fake crises to sustain the deception.

Renata said Souza de Oliveira, who allegedly introduced herself at the time as “Duda”, claimed her father had forced her into prostitution and made her take hormones. She said Souza de Oliveira used that story to explain her adult appearance and lack of documents.

Renata also claimed she saw Souza de Oliveira vomit needles on several occasions. She said: “She vomited the needle. She vomited, she did it in front of me.

“It is bizarre. I have seen many people laughing and making jokes on the internet, but she is a fraudster, a narcissist, a dangerous woman.

“She is a person who puts on a character like a coat and creates a totally fake narrative.” Renata claimed police later found searches on Souza de Oliveira’s phone about autistic behaviour and how to make drawings that would move religious families.

She said: “Her phone was full of searches. She researched how an autistic person behaves, how to make drawings to move evangelical people and, to make it worse, there was a huge history of pornographic films.”

Social worker Delma Soares, from Belo Horizonte, alleged Souza de Oliveira had also lived with her in 2017 while using the name Carolina and claiming to be a vulnerable teenager. Delma claimed Souza de Oliveira arrived wearing Minnie Mouse clothes, carrying a backpack and a Minnie Mouse headband, and appeared much younger than her real age.

She said Souza de Oliveira called everyone “auntie”, cried often, slept a lot and became jealous when Delma gave attention to other children. Police said Souza de Oliveira admitted using the same scam in Curitiba, Nova Iguacu, Minas Gerais, Goias and Ceara.

Officers in Santa Catarina are also investigating two further cases in Florianopolis and Chapeco. Court proceedings were suspended after her defence requested a mental health examination. The psychiatric assessment was scheduled for 26th June in Florianopolis, the state capital of Santa Catarina.

Defence lawyer Rafael Luiz Siewert said the legal team was awaiting the results of the evaluation before deciding what measures to take in the case. He added that the court had suspended the proceedings until the expert report was completed and submitted.

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