37-Year-Old Woman Impersonates 12-Year-Old Girl to Deceive Family

Kathmandu. Police in Brazil's Santa Catarina state have revealed the most unique and surprising fraud incident in their history.

It has been revealed that a 37-year-old woman tried to get a local family to adopt her by presenting herself as a 12-year-old victim girl.

During the investigation, it was found that the woman was a repeat offender who had previously run fraud schemes by impersonating minors in areas including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais. The woman, named Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, started this elaborate scheme by defrauding a pastor of a church in Joinville, the largest city in Santa Catarina.

She convinced the pastor that she was a 12-year-old girl named Gabriela who had fled from a violent family in Para state. After winning the trust of the pastor and church members, she not only received financial assistance but was also introduced to a local family ready to provide her protection.

While living with her new family, the 37-year-old woman deliberately behaved like a child. She would drink milk from a bottle and ask for blankets like a small child to sleep at night.

She would also make her voice high-pitched like a small child and even pretend to wake up startled at night to convince her new parents that she was a truly 'child in need of care'.

Although the woman appeared to be her actual age or older, many were surprised how the family believed her story. But Amanda had a prepared answer for that too.

She claimed that her physical appearance was due to being forcibly given hormones when she was young and that her body's condition was due to years of abuse from her father.

The family believed Amanda's every word and loved her dearly. They celebrated her 12th birthday party, paid for her weight loss medication, and even planned to legally adopt her.

They never suspected anything, but people around them did. A relative of the family urged them to report the matter to the police and check the girl's history.

After police investigation, it was discovered that the 12-year-old Gabriela was actually a 37-year-old adult woman who had been deceiving people in various parts of Brazil by garnering sympathy and relying on families with similar acts.

Even in 2023, she claimed to be a 12-year-old girl who had fallen victim to witchcraft rituals. To convince people she was a victim, she inserted about 100 metal needles into her skin.

During the statement, the accused confessed to her crime and was sent to Joinville prison on charges of fraud and identity theft. Her lawyer has requested a psychiatric evaluation, arguing that Amanda may be suffering from mental illness and is not fully responsible for her actions.