The U.S. State Department is alerting American travelers about a scam targeting young males in Brazil during Carnival. Criminals lure victims, often through dating apps, before drugging them in hotel rooms and stealing their valuables. This premeditated scheme, which has spiked in recent years, aims to rob travelers without causing physical harm. With Carnival festivities approaching, officials stress the importance of awareness to prevent becoming victims of this increasingly prevalent crime, especially in tourist-heavy areas like Rio de Janeiro.
"We want Americans coming for the party to have the latest information on a crime pattern that we've seen in Rio de Janeiro and other places around Brazil."
"The victims wake up, sometimes two hours later, to find they're missing money, phones, passports and other documents and valuables."
"They are trying to take anything they can sell on the black market," said Tyler Hosford, a regional security manager for International SOS.
"The primary objective, travel safety experts say, is to rob the traveler and not injure or sexually assault them."
Collection
[
|
...
]