06 January 2023 , 17:12
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A woman allegedly faked a cancer diagnosis in an elaborate scam to convince kindhearted people to give her money.
Camilla Maria Barbosa dos Santos, from Brazil, has been accused of shaving her hair off to make it look like she was having chemotherapy and lying about undergoing treatment.
The 27-year-old, who has been investigated for embezzlement, told people that she was fundraising for "treatment".
She had told police officers that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and went into remission.
The alleged scammer then claimed that it had returned in the middle of last year and spread to her lung and intestine after she caught dengeu virus.
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But local police said that Ms Santos was unable to provide evidence of her diagnosis.
Camilla Maria Barbosa dos Santos was accused of shaving her head to make it look like she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment (Jam Press Vid)
People who had donated to Camilla became suspicious about her attitude (Jam Press Vid)Police said that they began investigating Camilla when several people who had donated money to pay for her medicine and tests reported her after becoming suspicious about her "disingenuous" attitude.
The woman, from Morrinhos, Goiás State, had carried out a number of fundraisers and raffles.
In one video released by the police, Camilla introduces herself and talks about her battle with the disease before asking for money for an MRI scan.
The 27-year-old claimed she was undergoing chemotherapy (Jam Press Vid)
She's accused of shaving her head to make it look like she had cancer (Jam Press Vid)In another post released by the police, she is seen attending a charity lunch that was organised to pay for her treatment.
Police first received complaints about Camilla's fundraising two months ago and officers concluded their investigation on January 5.
Police chief Fernando Nogueira Boaventura Gontijo confirmed that Camilla was unable to provide any documentation to support her diagnosis when asked.
Camilla couldn't provide police with evidence of her diagnosis (Jam Press Vid)
She had told authorities that she had undergone seven sessions of chemo (Jam Press Vid)Officers also carried out a search of the woman's home and couldn't find any paperwork or evidence to support her claims that she was suffering from breast cancer and undergoing chemotherapy.
The Araújo Jorge Hospital — where Camilla said she has been undergoing treatment since July 2022 — also denied that she was a patient there.
Camilla had told authorities that she had undergone seven sessions of chemotherapy in a four-month period at the hospital and claimed that they suspended her treatment because they had lost her medical records.
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The hospital denied that Camilla was a patient (Jam Press Vid)
Hospital workers accused her of taking pictures in the chemo ward (Jam Press Vid)But the hospital disputed this claim, medical workers said they caught her “taking photos on a stretcher in the chemotherapy ward” while using an internal hospital ID card.
They also claimed that she had been removed from the hospital for “repeated and irregular conduct”.
Police have confirmed that Camilla is not currently being held in custody and have released images of the suspect in the hope of identifying further victims.
Camilla has not responded to requests for comments from local media.