A 40-year-old foreign national was detained on Tuesday, August 26, at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon, on suspicion of fraud, extortion, and money laundering.
In a statement, the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) disclosed that the woman, arriving from a flight outside the Schengen Area, is suspected of ‘sextortion.’ She allegedly lured victims through social media, engaged in online conversations, and invited them to share intimate content, including via video calls.
Once in possession of these images – photos and videos – the suspect demanded payments under the threat of sharing them with family, friends, and professional contacts.
Investigators noted that the woman, involved in multiple inquiries related to this type of crime, held bank accounts where the extorted money was transferred and used it for personal gain.
One of these accounts, according to PJ, was used for transactions exceeding half a million euros.
The detainee is scheduled to appear in court today for a preliminary judicial hearing to determine appropriate coercive measures.
It is noteworthy that earlier on Tuesday, PJ announced the arrest of seven other individuals for the same type of crime. In that case, suspects detained in the central and southern regions of the country, comprising five men and two women, amassed several hundred thousand euros.
