A 38-year-old man with a criminal history was arrested by the Judiciary Police in Seixal as part of Operation “Blackout.” The case involves a fraud totaling tens of thousands of euros that may have affected over two hundred people.
The suspect contacted victims by phone, posing as an employee of Empresa de Eletricidade da Madeira or E-Redes. According to the PJ investigation, during these calls, the man spoke of alleged fines, outstanding fees, or overdue payments and demanded that the victims make transfers to ATM references he provided. If the victim refused to make the payment, the suspect threatened to cut off their electricity supply.
The Judiciary Police claims the scheme may have yielded tens of thousands of euros for the suspect, and the number of victims, though yet to be determined, could exceed two hundred. Most of those defrauded are from the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
The detainee will appear at the Funchal Judicial Court for a first interrogation and implementation of coercive measures. He is strongly suspected of multiple crimes, including qualified fraud and money laundering.
The suspect’s criminal record already includes drug trafficking, misuse of guarantee cards, payment devices or data, and computer/telecommunications fraud.
As part of this operation, the PJ conducted three home searches, gathering indicative and evidentiary materials of the suspect’s repeated fraudulent activities. The man allegedly used international banking circuits to dissipate and conceal the money.
Operation “Blackout” was launched by the Madeira Criminal Investigation Department, with support from Setúbal, and in collaboration with the Portuguese Air Force.
