AT packed bars and clubs, unsuspecting tourists down cocktails and pints as gangs of glamorous women lurk in the shadows waiting for right moment to target their prey.
Plying holidaymakers with drinks laced with powerful sedatives, the ruthless women strip them of cash, phones and passports once they pass out.
Francini Demétrio Sitas, known as the ‘Queen of Goodnight Cinderella’ was arrested in July for luring flirtatious tourists before drugging and robbing them of thousands[/caption]
Shocking footage showed a Brit tourist who was targeted by a ‘Goodnight Cinderella’ gang in Brazil[/caption]
Two Brit men pictured enjoying their time in Rio, Brazil before being targeted by a ‘Goodnight Cinderella’ gang[/caption]
Amanda Couto Deloca, 23, was arrested in Duque de Caxias, Brazil after the Brits were targeted[/caption]
Known as “Goodnight Cinderella” scams, Brit holidaymakers are being warned to watch out or face falling victim to the potentially lethal scams.
Infamous in Brazil, the scheme typically involves gangs of glamorous women approaching tourists in bars or clubs in famous hotspots like Rio de Janeiro.
Victims have been drugged, robbed and in some cases left for dead.
One young Brit engineering student recalled the moment his trip to Rio turned into a nightmare after meeting three women during a night out.
He told Brazilian newspaper G1: “I took two sips [of the cocktail] and I don’t remember anything else. I tried to fight the drug. By the time I got to the beach I was completely out of it.”
Footage showed him collapsing on the sand at Ipanema beach as the suspects fled in a taxi.
Police say £16,000 was taken from his account, although just £2,000 was successfully spent before it was frozen.
Brazilian cops linked the latest case to three women – Amanda Couto Deloca, 23, Mayara Ketelyn Americo da Silva, 26, and Raiane Campos de Oliveira, 27.
And it was later revealed that Oliveira had already been arrested 20 times for the same offence.
Detectives warn that British travellers are seen as “easy prey” because they often carry high-limit bank cards, expensive phones and little local knowledge.
The drugs used – typically Rohypnol, GHB or similar “date rape” substances – can cause memory loss, blackouts, paralysis and, in high doses, respiratory failure.
Professor Bayard do Coutto Boiteux, from Rio de Janeiro Tourism Ambassadors Association, said many cases stem from tourists seeking sex tourism.
He told The Sun: “What happens is that some tourists come to Brazil looking for sex tourism, which is completely inappropriate. We are by no means a sexual paradise.
“When they come here looking for sex tourism, a number of things can happen because there is no effective control by the authorities over prostitution.”
These women usually go to the place where the tourists are staying, which is also dangerous
Professor Bayard do Coutto Boiteux
He warned the scam typically happens when tourists are distracted.
He said: “While they’re there, seeking sex tourism and talking to these women, they, in reality, in a moment of inattention, slip a pill into their drink.
“And this pill often causes drowsiness, a state of mind that takes the person away from their daily routine.
“And then, these women usually go to the place where the tourists are staying, which is also dangerous.”
Ronald Rafael Tejeda (left) and Andrés Orellana were drugged and thrown off a cliff in Brazil[/caption]
Sex worker Davina Cristina was charged with robbery-homicide and attempted robbery-homicide[/caption]
Boiteux stressed: “Never take anyone to the place where you are staying. Never. Not to an Airbnb, not to a hotel.”
He added many hotels now require visitors to leave ID at reception when going up with a guest as a precaution against such scams.
Tourists from other countries like the US and Chile have also been caught in the net.
Last year, Minnesota entrepreneur D’wayne Antonio Morris, 43, was in Brazil for less than 24 hours when he fell victim to a suspected “Goodnight Cinderella” scam.
Police said Morris was drugged with GHB by two women he met in Rio’s nightlife district before being robbed at his rented Copacabana flat.
He was found dead on August 8 after convulsing and foaming at the mouth.
Surveillance footage appeared to show the suspects leaving in a black car.
And in 2023, what began as a dream holiday for two Chilean friends quickly turned into tragedy that left one of them badly injured and another tragically dead.
Ronald Tejeda and Andrés Orellana, both 29, had only just arrived in Rio when they were allegedly drugged, assaulted and thrown into a ditch after a night out in the bohemian district of Lapa.
The pair were found hours later in a five-metre ravine in Santa Teresa.
Ronald’s sister Marta told TV channel Chilevisión: “Andrés, his friend, says they put something in the glass and then lost consciousness.”
Andrés survived with a punctured lung, but Ronald suffered fatal head injuries.
In a brief message, Andrés gave his most important piece of advice.
He told The Sun: “Always keep a close eye on whatever you’re drinking.”
The two British students who were drugged and robbed in Brazil in August[/caption]
Mayara Ketelyn Americo da Silva, 26, is one of the women alleged to have scammed the Brits[/caption]
Fellow suspect Raiane Campos de Oliveira, 27, has been arrested 20 times for similar offences[/caption]
According to Boiteux, the vast majority of victims are men.
“We actually have statistics that 70 per cent of people who suffer this scam are men,” he said.
“And these are men who, typically, brought these escorts to the place where they are staying.
“They’re even more at risk if they’re staying at Airbnbs, because many don’t have a 24-hour doorman.”
He added that the goal is usually theft, not violence: “Usually, these scammers aim to steal their belongings. That includes money, watches and jewellery, clothes, phones and so on. Not to commit violence against that person.”
Boiteux urged visitors to follow basic safety rules, with the main one being to never leave your drink unattended and keep your drink in your hand the entire time.
“Watch exactly how it’s being made. Don’t take anyone to your hotel or your home – it’s incredibly dangerous because you don’t know who that person is,” he added.
His final advice is to always tell someone where you are.
“Every time a tourist gets involved with someone and wants to take that person somewhere, they must tell a friend. Communicate.
“Say, ‘I’m going with a girl I met on the street, with a boy I met on the street. I’m going to this place,’ so that you have some support if needed.”
The ‘Queen of Goodnight Cinderella’ was arrested in July[/caption]
The escort is estimated to have stolen over £13,000 worth of goods[/caption]
Dating apps fuelling the danger
According to a 2023 report by Rest of World, police say criminals are increasingly using dating apps like Tinder or Grindr to set up victims – luring them to private meet-ups before drugging and robbing them.
And that is not only limited to Rio de Janeiro.
In São Paulo, cops revealed that “nine out of 10 kidnappings in the past year have occurred after a date was arranged through Tinder and similar apps.”
João Eleutério da Silva, 51, told Rest of World: “The offer [of company] was too easy. I didn’t feel safe and ended up not following up with the conversation.”
The rise of instant payment systems in Brazil like PIX (similar to Venmo) has made it even easier for thieves to drain victims’ accounts.
Criminals set up fake profiles, arrange a meeting, and transfer money within minutes, often through accounts that don’t belong to them – making the cash hard to trace.
Da Silva added: “I get suspicious … when women that are much younger than me and wearing very little clothing in the photos make forward propositions.
“If I am 51 and she is 23, how can I not think I am being catfished for a possible robbery?”
Cybersecurity experts say the scams aren’t limited to heterosexual men.
Users on Grindr have reported being threatened with extortion or blackmail, while others describe “lightning kidnappings” where victims are briefly held until they’ve handed over large sums of money.
“The risk of being on those apps is enormous,” Franco Ribeiro, a Tinder user in Juiz de Fora, told Rest of World.
“I’ll probably keep using [Tinder] but I no longer expect it to change my life.”
Advice by the FCDO
Under the subcategory ‘scams’, the Foreign Office writes: “Dating apps have been used by criminals to target foreign nationals in Brazil, leading to spiking of drinks, robbery and theft from bank accounts.
“Exercise caution when engaging with such apps, buy and keep hold of your own drinks, share your plans with friends or family, and be vigilant of your belongings including your mobile phone.”
Under the subcategory ‘sexual assault and drink spiking’, the advice reads: “Rape and other sexual offences against tourists are not common, but there have been attacks against both women and men.
“Some have involved date rape drugs. Buy your own drinks and keep them in sight. If you begin to feel strange, sick or drunk after only a couple of drinks, tell a trusted friend or security staff.
“They should take you to a safe place, such as your hotel room or a hospital. You can phone the local police, a hospital or the nearest British embassy or consulate for advice.”
